Can't make it to the polls Tuesday? You still can vote in the SC primary

Both Democrats and Republicans have competitive statewide races in Tuesday's primary, contests that may be driving more voters to cast their ballot absentee — skipping the lines to vote early.

And there could be good news for Democrats in that early voting.

As of Thursday, some 38,738 absentee ballots have been issued to S.C. voters who, for one reason or another, can't make it to their polling place on primary day. That's lower than at the same point in the 2016 primaries, but higher than during midterm elections in 2014 and 2010, the last year in which voters faced a contested primary for governor.

With five days to go until the primary, the number of Democratic and GOP absentee ballots cast absentee this year is nearly even — with 19,476 Democratic ballots issued to 19,108 for would-be Republican primary voters.

For Democrats looking for South Carolina to join a national "blue wave" in reaction to Donald Trump's election, that parity is good news.

At the same point before the last contested primary for governor, in 2010, 15,951 Republican ballots had been cast absentee, compared to 11,277 Democratic ballots.

There is still time for absentee voters to make their voices heard. County election offices will allow in-person absentee voting until 5 p.m. Monday.

Many county offices also will have weekend hours to allow voters to cast ballots. Richland County's election office, for example, will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, and Lexington County will allow voting from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Ballots also can be sent by mail as long as they are received by the time that the polls close at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Chris Whitmire, spokesman for the S.C. Election Commission, says the surest way to ensure your mail ballot gets in by the deadline is to bring it to your county election office in person. Richland County has set up a secure drop box outside its elections headquarters so voters can leave their ballots after hours before election day.

Five days before the 2016 primaries, S.C. election officials had issued 42,311 ballots ahead of that June's Democratic and Republican primaries, slightly more than this year.

However, that year already had seen S.C. voters go to the polls for Democratic and Republican presidential primaries.

"With it being a presidential election year, voters (were) just more focused on voting throughout the year," Whitmire said.

In 2014, the last midterm election, 33,969 absentee ballots had been sent out with a little less than a week to go until the primaries.

Neither GOP Gov. Nikki Haley or Democratic nominee Vincent Sheheen faced a primary in that election. But both parties had primaries for the U.S. Senate seats ultimately won by Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott.

In 2010, when both parties held primaries to decide their gubernatorial nominees, only 27,288 voters had received absentee ballots five days before the election. However, both the state's population and number of registered voters has grown since then, helping account for the increase this year.

Who can vote absentee?

You can vote before election day in South Carolina, if you are:

▪ A member — or spouse or dependent — of the military serving outside your county of residence.

▪ Serving with the American Red Cross or USO attached to the military outside your county of residence — or the spouse or dependent of someone who is.

▪ A U.S. citizen now living overseas.

▪ Physically disabled.

▪ Attending school outside your county of residence — or the spouse or dependent of someone who is.

▪ Unable to vote on election day because of work.

▪ A government employee — or spouse or dependent — serving outside your county of residence on election day.

▪ On vacation on election day.

▪ Serving on a jury on election day.

▪ Admitted to a hospital as an emergency patient on election day or within four days prior.

▪ Have a death or funeral in the family within three days of the election.

▪ Confined to a jail or pretrial facility, prior to conviction.

▪ Attending to someone who is sick or physically disabled.

▪Working as a poll watcher, poll manager or county election official during the election.

▪ Are at least 65 years old..

This story was originally published June 7, 2018 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Can't make it to the polls Tuesday? You still can vote in the SC primary."