Visit scVOTES.gov to see our Upcoming Elections Calendar. You can also check with your county voter registration and elections office.
The candidates and offices on a particular ballot will differ depending on the county and districts in which you reside. Note that many voters’ districts have changed as a result of the 2020 redistricting process.
Find your sample ballot at scVOTES.gov to see your up-to-date districts and the candidates that will appear on your ballot.
The deadline to register to vote in any election in South Carolina is 30 days prior to Election Day.
Don’t wait until the deadline, it only takes a couple of minutes to register to vote! Register now.
You should update your voter registration whenever there are changes to your voter registration information, such as a legal name change or an address change, even if it’s within the same county or precinct. Be sure that it is updated at least 30 days prior to any election or primary in which you wish to participate. You can update your voter registration using the same method you originally registered or through any of the options provided here.
If you move but forget to update your voter registration information, see question below “I’ve moved since the last time I voted and I haven’t updated my voter registration. Can I still vote?”
If you moved to…
- … another residence within your precinct, you can update your address at your polling place and vote a regular ballot.
- … a different precinct within your county, you are eligible vote Failsafe (see below).
- …another residence in another county within 30 days of the election, you are eligible to vote Failsafe (see below).
- …another residence in another county prior to the 30 days registration deadline, you are not eligible to vote. State law requires you to be registered prior to the deadline to be eligible to vote.
- …South Carolina after the registration deadline, you are not eligible to vote. State law requires you to be registered prior to the deadline to be eligible to vote.
Two Options for Voting Failsafe:
- Vote at the polling place in your previous precinct using a failsafe provisional ballot. A failsafe provisional ballot contains only federal, statewide, countywide, and municipality-wide offices.
- Go to the voter registration office in the county in which you currently reside, change your address, and vote a regular ballot there.
Yes. Minor children (under age 18) of a voter may accompany the voter in the voting booth.
At your polling place, you will be asked to show one of the following Photo IDs:
- SC Driver’s License
- SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card
- includes SC Concealed Weapons Permit
- SC Voter Registration Card with Photo
- US Passport
- Federal Military ID
- includes all Department of Defense Photo IDs and the Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Card
If you do not have one of these photo IDs, you can make your voting experience as fast and easy as possible by getting one before Election Day. If you are already registered to vote, you can go to your county voter registration and elections office, provide your date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security Number, and have your photo taken. You can do this even on Election Day. Free ID Cards are also available from the Department of Motor Vehicles.
If you cannot get a photo ID, bring your non-photo voter registration card with you to the polling place. You can contact your county voter registration office if you need to replace your non-photo voter registration card. You may vote a provisional ballot after signing an affidavit stating you have a reasonable impediment to obtaining a photo ID. A reasonable impediment is any valid reason, beyond your control, which created an obstacle obtaining a photo ID. Some examples include: a disability or illness, a conflict with your work schedule, a lack of transportation, a lack of a birth certificate, family responsibilities, a religious objection to being photographed, and any other obstacle you find reasonable. This ballot will count unless someone proves to the county board of voter registration and elections that you are lying about your identity or having the listed impediment.
To vote under the reasonable impediment exception:
- Inform the poll managers that you do not have a photo ID and could not get one.
- Present your current, non-photo registration card.
- Sign the affidavit provided by the poll managers stating why you could not obtain a photo ID.
- Cast a provisional ballot that will be counted unless the county board of voter registration and elections has reason to believe your affidavit is false.
If you forget to bring your photo ID to your polling place, you may vote a provisional ballot that will count only if you show your photo ID to your county voter registration office prior to certification of the election.
Yes. Voters may vote with their driver’s license, DMV issued ID card, federal military ID, or U.S. passport. Voters may also get a replacement photo voter registration card from their county voter registration office, even on Election Day.
Visit an early voting center in your county during the early voting period and vote in person like you would at your polling place on Election Day. Remember to bring your Photo ID when checking in to vote.
Visit the early voting page on scVOTES.gov to see a list of locations for early voting centers in your county.
State law allows voters with qualifying reasons to vote absentee by mail:
- Persons with employment obligations which prevent them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day.
- Persons attending a sick or physically disabled person which prevents them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day.
- Persons confined to a jail or pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial which prevents them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day.
- Persons who will be absent from their county of residence during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day.
- Persons with physical disabilities.
- Persons sixty-five years of age or older.
- Members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them.
- Persons admitted to a hospital as an emergency patient on the day of the election or within a four-day period before the election.
Voters must apply for an absentee ballot by completing and returning an absentee application to their county voter registration office. You must complete and return an application no later than 5:00 p.m., 11 days prior to Election Day. Absentee ballots must be returned no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.
Visit our absentee voting page to learn more.
You can vote your absentee ballot and return it to your county voter registration office by mail or personal delivery by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day (or an early voting center during the early voting period).
- Ballots returned by mail should be mailed no later than one week prior to Election Day to help ensure timely delivery.
- If you still have your ballot within a week prior to Election Day, consider returning the ballot in person.
- You may also vote a provisional ballot in person that will count as long as your absentee ballot is not returned before the polls close on Election Day.
Visit the absentee voting page to see Photo ID requirements for returning a ballot in person and to learn how Immediate Family Members and Authorized Representatives can return another voter’s ballot.
At the polling place in your precinct.
Visit scVOTES.gov and select “Find My Polling Place” under MySCVotes or check with your county voter registration office.
Your precinct and polling place are also listed on your voter registration card; however, it is possible your polling place may have changed since the card was issued. Always check your polling place at scVOTES.gov before leaving to vote.
Polling places are open 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Anyone in line at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
Yes, there are several state laws addressing political signs on roadways, as well as county and municipal ordinances. See S.C. Code of Laws Sections 57-25-10, 57-25-140, and 7-25-210. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the entity that maintains the road (state, county, or municipality) to enforce applicable sign laws.
Yes. It is permissible for any person, even a candidate, to give a voter a ride as long as it is being done solely to help facilitate voting. However, no one can offer a voter anything of value in exchange for voting.
Yes, but there are restrictions:
Inside the polling place: No campaigning is allowed. Candidates may be inside the polling place and talk to voters as long as they are not campaigning, intimidating voters, or interfering with the election process.
Within 500 feet of an entrance to a polling place: Candidates and campaign staff may campaign as long as they are not intimidating voters or interfering with the election process. However, no campaign literature, signs, or posters are allowed. Candidates are allowed to wear a badge no larger than 4.25” x 4.25” featuring only the candidate’s name and office sought. Candidates must remove their badge upon entering a polling place.
Inform the poll clerk immediately. If the issue is not resolved, contact the county board of voter registration and elections. The county board will address the complaint.
Yes. It is permissible for any person, even a candidate, to give a voter a ride as long as it is being done solely to help facilitate voting. However, no one can offer a voter anything of value in exchange for voting.
Exit polls are legal and participation is voluntary. They are NOT conducted by the State Election Commission or the county boards of voter registration and elections. Generally, polls may not be conducted inside the polling place, and we ask that voters not be approached before they have voted. If a voter feels threatened or intimidated by a pollster, it should be reported immediately to the precinct’s poll clerk.
Unofficial results will be reported by the SEC on election night at scVOTES.gov. Results are reported in real time as we receive them from each county board of voter registration and elections. Results may also be reported locally by the county board.
On Friday following the election, county election boards determine which provisional ballots to count, and those votes are added to the totals. The SEC meets later to certify the results at which time the results become official.
Results of the election are certified by election officials after it has been determined that all votes have been counted accurately and completely. Once certified, results are official. County boards of voter registration and elections certify results by the Friday following Election Day.
When the difference between any winning candidate and any other non-winning candidate is 1% or less of the total votes cast for all candidates for that office, a recount is mandatory.
Election officials work to ensure a strong and resilient election infrastructure that will continue to serve South Carolinians in the face of any adversity.
Check your MyscVOTES to find a record of the elections in which you have participated during the past three General Election cycles. For a comprehensive voting history, you may request records from the State Election Commission.
No, the voting system is never connected to the internet. Computers used to tabulate votes, BMDs, and ballot scanners used in South Carolina are not even capable of being connected to the internet.
Apply to be a poll manager today. State and county election officials work hard all year to ensure that elections are secure and run smoothly, but we can’t do it alone. Poll managers play an important role in conducting fair and impartial elections.
It’s best to report any concerns to a poll manager or notify your county voter registration and elections office as soon as possible. To send a complaint to the SEC, visit the contact page on scVOTES.gov. Complaints regarding voting and elections should be addressed to your county board of voter registration and elections.
Contact your county voter registration and elections office for more information.
Election officials record a voter’s participation in an election, but we are not able to see a person’s specific votes on a ballot because our state law protects the people’s right to vote by secret ballot (see Section 1 of Article 2 of the State Constitution). It also prohibits someone from placing a mark upon their ballot by which it may be identified (see S.C. Code of Laws 7-25-100). This means that there can be nothing added to the ballot that would show who voted it, which also means there is no way to identify a ballot for a specific voter after it has been dropped in the ballot box and mixed with ballots from other voters.
Keep in mind that the voter is responsible for verifying their selections on their ballot before casting it in the scanner. Tests on the equipment are done in public before they can be used in any election to show that they are reading votes on the ballots correctly. Hand-count audits are done after election day to ensure that the votes on the paper ballots match the results put out by the voting system.
While these rules prevent us from being able to produce a receipt of your votes, they ensure that you can make your selections in secret.