Voters Cast Absentee Ballots for June Primaries

COLUMBIA, SC (May 23, 2018) – Absentee voting for the Statewide Primaries is underway at county elections offices throughout the state.  As of today, nearly 15,000 absentee ballots have been issued statewide.  Voters who are age 65 and older, who will be on vacation, or who can’t go to the polls due to their job are all qualified to vote absentee.   If you meet one of these or any of the other qualifying reasons, you can vote early by absentee ballot.  The State Election Commission wants you to know how to vote absentee and the deadlines for doing so.

Two Ways to Vote Absentee:

In Person – Visit your county elections office, complete an application, and cast your ballot.  You may vote absentee in person up until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, June 11.

By Mail – Voters should consider U.S. Postal Service transit times in choosing to vote absentee by mail.  First class mail may take 2-5 days to arrive at its destination.

• Step 1: Get an absentee application in one of two ways:
  • Get the application online at scVOTES.org.  To get your application online, you must be able to print your application.
  • Request an application from your county elections office by phone, mail, email, or fax.   You will be mailed an application.  
• Step 2:  Complete and sign the application.
• Step 3:  Mail, fax or email the application to your county elections office as soon as possible.  Voters who return applications by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 8 will be mailed a ballot.  
• Step 4:  Vote the ballot following ballot instructions and return it to your county elections office no later than 7:00 p.m. on June 12.  You may return the ballot personally or by mail.

More information on how to vote absentee.

Click here for historical statistics on voter registration, voter turnout, and absentee voting.

Voters can also check their voter registration and get a sample ballot at scVOTES.org.

Voters qualified to vote by absentee ballot:

1. Students attending school outside their county of residence and their spouses and dependents
2. Members of the Armed Forces or Merchant Marine serving outside their county of residence and their spouses and dependents residing with them (click here for additional information)
3. Persons serving with the American Red Cross or United Service Organizations (USO) serving with the Armed Forces outside their county of residence and their spouses and dependents (click here for additional information)
4. Persons who, for reasons of employment, will not be able to vote on election day
5. Physically disabled persons
6. Government employees serving outside their county of residence on Election Day and their spouses and dependents residing with them
7. Persons with a death or funeral in the family within three days before the election
8. Persons who plan to be on vacation outside their county of residence on Election Day
9. Certified poll watchers, poll managers, and county election officials working on Election Day
10. Overseas Citizens (click here for additional information)
11. Persons attending sick or physically disabled persons
12. Persons admitted to the hospital as emergency patients on Election Day or within a four-day period before the election
13. Persons serving as a juror in state or federal court on Election Day
14. Persons sixty-five years of age or older
15. Persons confined to a jail or pre-trial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial

 

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