Here’s what you need to know about voting absentee in SC
As the coronavirus pandemic upends our lives and our elections this year, South Carolina voters naturally have questions about the impact any voting changes will have on them and want to guarantee their votes are counted in what some consider to be the most significant election of their lifetime.
The expansion of absentee voting in the general election, which lawmakers approved in September as a safety measure, has spurred many voters to request and cast absentee ballots for the first time.
Because the process of applying for, receiving and returning an absentee ballot is new to many voters, questions abound.
The South Carolina Election Commission website and local county voter registration and elections websites are great resources, but may not answer every one of your questions.
So we’ve created this FAQ for voters who still have lingering questions or doubts about the absentee voting process.
If you have a question that isn’t addressed here, please contact Zak Koeske, zkoeske@thestate.com, and he’ll look into it for you.
Who is eligible to vote absentee in the Nov. 3 general election?
All registered South Carolina voters may cast an absentee ballot in the November general election following the passage of legislation in September that expanded absentee voting due to the coronavirus pandemic.
How do I vote absentee?
Voters can either vote absentee in-person or by mail.
If voting absentee in-person, visit your county voter registration office or an extension office, complete an absentee ballot application and cast your ballot. This can be done in one visit, but you may need to wait in line and will need to bring a photo ID. For acceptable forms of ID, click here.
Absentee in-person voting started Oct. 5 and runs through 5 p.m. on Nov. 2, the day before the election. The specific hours and dates for absentee in-person voting vary somewhat by county, so make sure you check in advance before showing up at a voting location.
You can download a spreadsheet with your county’s in-person absentee voting locations (many counties have more than one), hours and dates at the South Carolina Election Commission website.
If voting absentee-by-mail, you must first request an absentee ballot application and complete, sign and return the application to your county voter registration office. You will need a printer to complete the absentee ballot request process online. If you don’t have a printer, you can call or email your voter registration office to request an application be mailed to you.
Absentee ballot applications must be received by county voter offices by 5 p.m. on Oct. 24, if sent by mail, email or fax, or by 5 p.m. on Oct. 30, if submitted in person by an authorized representative acting on behalf of a voter who is unable to go to the polls due to illness or disability.
After the county receives your absentee ballot application, it will mail you your absentee ballot.
Voters must complete and return absentee-by-mail ballots, either in person or by mail, by Election Day, Nov. 3. For those returning by mail, the S.C. Election Commission recommends allowing at least a week for delivery, so make sure to mail your completed ballots well in advance so they arrive by the Election Day deadline.
For your vote to count, absentee-by-mail voters must sign the voter’s oath on the return envelope and have a witness sign and provide an address. Anyone can serve as a witness and their signature does not need to be notarized.
Completed absentee ballots that are mailed must be received at county offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day (Nov. 3), except for those submitted by members of the military and overseas citizens, whose absentee-by-mail ballots must be mailed by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3, but can be received until 5 p.m. on Nov. 5.
What’s the deal with the witness signature on absentee ballots? Is it required?
Yes. The witness signature requirement for mail-in absentee ballots was reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 5.
If you mailed in your absentee ballot without a witness signature and the county election office received it by Oct. 7, your vote will still be counted. However, your absentee ballot will be rejected if it is received after Oct. 7 and lacks a witness signature.
What if I mailed in my ballot without a witness signature? Can I vote another way?
There are no do-overs or ways to “cure” or correct an absentee ballot that does not have a witness signature and arrives at an election office after Oct. 7. Voters cannot “cancel” their absentee ballot and request a new one, or vote absentee in-person or on Election Day instead.
Absentee ballots returned without a witness signature after Oct. 7 will be logged into a statewide voter registration system, so anyone who attempts to vote again after mailing in an absentee ballot without a witness signature will be flagged and not permitted to do so.
I requested my absentee ballot months ago, but have still not received it. Where is my absentee ballot?
Regardless of when you applied for your absentee ballot, county elections offices issue absentee by-mail ballots when they’re ready to do so, generally about a month before Election Day. Some counties issued ballots in mid-September, but many did not start issuing absentee ballots until last week or, in Richland County’s case, the week of Oct. 5.
Is there a way to find out whether my ballot has been mailed?
Yes. You can check the status of your absentee ballot on the S.C. Election Commission website. After you enter your information, it will tell you when your absentee ballot application was received and when the county mailed you your absentee ballot.
What if I requested an absentee ballot by mail, but now want to vote absentee in-person?
State elections officials are encouraging voters who have not yet received their absentee ballots in the mail to continue waiting for them to arrive, at least for now.
However, at a certain point, if you become concerned that your absentee ballot may have been lost in the mail (if, for instance, you’ve checked the SC Votes website and it shows your ballot was mailed a week ago, but it still hasn’t arrived), you should call the county elections office to see if they can provide any additional information.
Elections officials can spoil — or void — the absentee ballot you requested and send you another, or let you vote absentee in-person or on Election Day, if you prefer.
That said, a voter who requested an absentee ballot by mail, but is just tired of waiting for it to arrive, will not be turned away if they simply show up to vote absentee in-person at any of their county’s early voting locations, even if their prior absentee ballot request has not been spoiled.
A voter who requested an absentee ballot by mail, but votes absentee in-person before they receive that ballot will not be able to vote a second time if/when they later receive the mail ballot they requested. Because a record of all votes are logged, someone who attempted to vote a second time by mail would be flagged and their vote would be rejected.
If I requested and received an absentee ballot in the mail, but would rather return it in person rather than risk mailing it back, must I wait in the line of voters waiting to cast absentee in-person votes?
You should not have to wait in line if you’re dropping off a completed absentee ballot. State elections officials recommend that voters who arrive at county voting locations to drop off absentee ballots should skip the absentee in-person line and find an employee to take their completed ballots so they don’t have to wait.
Must I return my completed absentee ballot to my primary county voter registration and elections office or is it also acceptable to return it to one of my county’s extension or satellite offices?
You should be able to return your completed absentee ballot to either your primary county elections office or any of the extension offices.
Does South Carolina permit voters to return completed absentee ballots at secure drop boxes?
Voters may return completed ballots to attended drop boxes, if their county has them, but unattended drop boxes are not permitted in this election.
In elections prior to the pandemic, a handful of counties had utilized secure, unattended drop boxes as a convenience for voters who preferred to return absentee ballots without having to come inside or wait in line.
In the run up to this November’s election, a majority of county elections officials had planned to make secure, unattended drop boxes an option for absentee voters, but scrapped their plans after the state Legislature did not approve the use of unattended drop boxes in the November general election, citing voter fraud concerns.
Problems voting in South Carolina? Let us know
The State is seeking input from voters on any problems that arise when they cast their ballots by mail, in person or at the polls on Nov. 3.
To do that, we’re partnering with ProPublica through its Electionland project this election season to gather and respond to voters’ concerns.
If you’d like to participate and let us know how your voting experience goes, please sign up using the form at the bottom of this article.
This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 2:30 PM.