South Carolina

Land Acknowledgement

South Carolina is the home of the Catawba Indian Nation (Catawba Tribe of South Carolina), as well as nine state-recognized tribes: the Beaver Creek Indians, the Edisto Natchez Kusso Tribe of South Carolina, the Pee Dee Nation of Upper South Carolina, the Pee Dee Indian Tribe, the Santee Indian Organization, the Sumter Tribe of Cheraw Indians, the Waccamaw Indian People, the Wassamasaw Tribe of Varnertown Indians. It is also the traditional homeland of many more tribes.

Overview

You can register to vote by mail, online, or in person. The deadline to register is October 10. All mail in applications must be postmarked by this date. You must provide a South Carolina driver's license or State ID, a South Carolina voter registration card with photo, a federal military ID, or a U.S. passport to vote on Election Day.

Key Dates

October 10 – Voter registration deadline

October 24 – Early voting beings

October 28 – Deadline to request an absentee ballot

November 5 – Early voting ends

November 8 – Election Day!

Contacts

South Carolina Voting Guide

Note: The information below is not legal advice on how to vote. Because voting information is changing rapidly during this election, make sure you check the links provided and check with your state about deadlines and voting specifics.

Registering to Vote

  • South Carolina requires you provide the address where you live. If you do not have a street name or number, you can draw a diagram of the area in which you live on the map provided. Show your house in relation to local landmarks such as schools, churches, stores, etc. Be sure to label the streets or roads.

  • No.

  • You must provide a copy of a current photo ID OR a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address.

  • South Carolina requires you provide the address where you live. If you do not have a street name or number, you can draw a diagram of the area in which you live on the map provided. Show your house in relation to local landmarks such as schools, churches, stores, etc. Be sure to label the streets or roads.

  • Contact your county Voter Registration and Election office.

  • You can get a driver's license or State ID from the Department of Motor Vehicles office.

  • Yes. If you have a South Carolina driver's license or State ID, you can register online here. You may also email in your registration to your county Board of Voter Registration. Find the form here. Find county Board contact information here.

  • Yes. You can fax your registration to your county Board of Voter Registration. Find the form here. Find county Board contact information here.

  • Yes. You may register to vote at your local Board of Voter Registration and the Department of Motor Vehicles. You may also register while receiving services at various agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services and Armed Forces Recruiting Stations. Find a complete list of agencies where you can register to vote here. Find county Board contact information here.

  • Yes. You can mail your registration to your county Board of Voter Registration. Find the form here. Find county Board contact information here.

  • Yes. You may register to vote if you have completed your sentence of imprisonment, including probation and parole.

  • Contact your county Voter Registration and Election office.

  • The deadline to register to vote is October 10. All mail in applications must be postmarked by this date.

  • Yes, under federal law you can assist someone in registering to vote if they do not speak English well, if they have trouble reading or writing, or if they have a disability.

Checking & Updating Voter Registration

Voting by Mail/Absentee/Ballot Drop-Off

  • In South Carolina you must request an absentee ballot application from your county Voter Registration office. The office will then send you an absentee ballot application to complete and return. Once the office receives your application, they will determine whether you are eligible to receive an absentee ballot. If you are eligible, you will receive an absentee ballot by mail. The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5PM on October 28. However, remember to take into account the time necessary to request and receive both the absentee application and ballot.

  • Yes. Please check that you have filled out all required fields and signed your ballot. USPS recommends you mail in your ballot a week before the deadline to ensure your ballot is received on time. However, please factor in your personal experience with mail delivery times to and from your place of residence or where you drop off your ballot.

  • First, you must call, visit, or mail in a request for an absentee ballot application to your county Voter Registration office. You must provide your name, date of birth, and the last four digits of your Social Security Number. You can print the absentee application request form here.

    Once the office receives your request, they will then mail you an absentee ballot application. You must complete the application and return it to your county Voter Registration office by 5PM on October 28. Once the office receives your application, they will determine whether you are eligible to receive an absentee ballot. If you are eligible, you will receive an absentee ballot by mail. Find your county contact information here.

  • Yes. You are eligible to vote absentee if you meet one of the following criteria: you have employment obligations that prevent you from early voting and voting on Election Day; you are caring for a sick or physically disabled person; you are confined to jail pending disposition of arrest or trial; you will be absent from the county during early voting and Election Day; you have a physical disability; you are over the age of 65; you are a member of the armed forces; or you are admitted to a hospital as an emergency patient on the day of the election or within a four-day period before the election.

  • Yes.

  • The deadline to request an absentee ballot is 5PM on October 28.

  • Ballots will be mailed beginning October 9.

  • Your absentee ballot can be mailed to either your address of registration or any alternative address you provide on your absentee ballot request.

  • This information is not currently available. We will keep monitoring this issue and update as soon as we can.

  • Ballots must be received by November 8. USPS recommends you mail in your absentee ballot one week prior to the state deadline, but you should mail in your ballot as soon as possible.

  • Yes. You can drop off your ballot at an early voting center or your county Voter Registration office. Find county contact information here.

  • Yes. An immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, parent-in-law, sibling-in-law, child-in-law) may request and return your ballot on your behalf. Alternatively, you may fill out this form and designate an authorized representative to pick up and return your ballot.

  • No.

  • Yes. A witness signature is required on all absentee ballots. Anyone age 18 or older can serve as your witness.

  • This information is not currently available. We will keep monitoring this issue and update as soon as we can.

  • Track your absentee ballot here.

  • Contact your county Voter Registration and Election office.

Voting In-Person

  • Find your polling location here.

  • No.

  • Yes. Early voting is available from 8:30AM to 6PM October 24 to November 5, excluding October 30. Find locations here.

  • Yes. You will be asked to show either a South Carolina driver's license or State ID, a South Carolina voter registration card with photo, a federal military ID, or a U.S. passport.

  • If you are registered to vote, you can get a free ID to vote from your local Department of Motor Vehicles office.

  • Yes. However, your ballot will only be counted if you show a photo ID to the county Voter Registration and Elections office prior to the certification of the election, usually done the Thursday or Friday after the election.

  • Yes. Under federal law (Section 208 of the Voting Rights Act), you are entitled to bring anyone you trust, such as a friend, family member, or neighbor, to the polling place AND into the polling booth to assist with voting. However, that person may not be your employer, running in the election, or a representative of your labor union. The person giving assistance also may not tell the voter how to vote.

  • Contact your county Voter Registration and Election office. Find contact information here.