All SC voters can vote absentee in November, as Gov. McMaster seals new COVID-19 law
UPDATED: The U.S. Supreme Court says absentee ballots submitted by mail in South Carolina must have a witness signature. This story has been updated to reflect that decision.
All South Carolina voters — no matter age, disability status or work conflict — can cast an absentee ballot for the November general election, but deadlines to return absentee applications have changed after Gov. Henry McMaster signed the COVID-19 absentee expansion bill into law Wednesday.
McMaster called the Legislature’s effort ahead of June to expand absentee voting to all South Carolinians a “common sense” measure, adding lawmakers have “done it again.”
“We know more about the virus and what to do than we did before,” McMaster said. “But we still had to take some measures to see to it that we have a safe election.”
With fewer than two months until the Nov. 3 presidential election, the Legislature this month moved a bill to the governor’s desk to allow “no-excuse” absentee voting, meaning all registered S.C. voters can cast absentee ballots because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Back in July, the head of the State Election Commission asked lawmakers for urgency, concerned without an expansion of absentee voting, county elections and voter registration offices could be overwhelmed with absentee ballots and a shortage of poll workers.
But State House leaders remained steadfast that September, when lawmakers returned to Columbia, would be enough time.
Both the state’s Democratic and Republican parties hailed the absentee voting expansion.
“The upcoming election is absolutely critical — from president on down to school board, and voter integrity must be protected at all costs,” said the state’s Republican Party chairman Drew McKissick. “Despite the Democrats’ efforts to change the voting rules in the middle of the game, voters can rest assured knowing the safeguards we have in place will remain.”
Democrats slammed their colleagues for refusing to allow voters to cast absentee ballots in other ways that would diminish exposure to COVID-19, including allowing for drop boxes.
House Democrats’ attempts on Tuesday to scrap the state’s requirement for a witness signature on mail-in absentee ballots also failed.
A judge could strike that measure, as one federal judge did before June, but that decision also could be appealed.
On Oct. 5, the U.S. Supreme Court weighed in, ruling a witness signature will be required on the absentee ballot.
“We’re in a pandemic. Why is the government forcing you to go find a witness to sign your ballot? This is government overreach, plain and simple,” tweeted House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland.
House Majority Leader Gary Simrill, R-York, said Tuesday should a judge intervene, they’ll “let the courts do what the courts do.”
With the governor’s blessing, election leaders are asking voters to request absentee ballot applications and, once received, return it to their county election offices.
Under the law, absentee ballot applications must be received by county voter offices by 5 p.m. on Oct. 24 if sent by mail and by 5 p.m. on Oct. 30 if applications are received in person.
Also hoping to counter the surge, the law allows county offices to open the outer envelope of absentee ballots two days before Election Day and start counting the actual ballots starting at 7 a.m. on Nov. 3.
Zak Koeske contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 16, 2020 at 5:15 PM.
