Bring your own pen, wear a mask. Here’s what you need to know to vote in SC’s primary
South Carolina’s primary election is here.
Today, thousands of S.C. voters will cast their ballots for a slew of federal, state and local offices in what election officials say could break the state’s records for turnout in similar statewide primaries and absentee ballot totals as voters take advantage of a recent expansion of absentee voting resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most attention will be paid to who wins or whether there’s a runoff in South Carolina’s coastal 1st District congressional race. But there are dozens of other races, including for Midlands area State House seats, Richland County coroner and sheriff races.
As of Monday, the state had issued nearly 182,000 absentee ballots and almost 142,000 had been returned.
And for many voters, Tuesday could mark the first time they’ve used South Carolina’s new paper-ballot machines. Voters will use a touchscreen to cast their ballot, and then review a printed paper ballot before entering it into a scanner.
Amid COVID-19, election officials stress things will look a bit different.
Here’s what you need to know to vote today:
First, am I registered?
Ahead of voting, check with the State Election Commission to make sure you are registered to vote.
Do I still have time to cast my absentee ballot?
Yes, but you’re on the tightest of time crunches.
In-person absentee voting ended on Monday, and the deadline to return a ballot to your county voter registration office stops at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Poll managers will not accept absentee ballots at precincts, so they must be delivered to the county office.
When does my precinct open and where is it?
Polling precincts are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and if you’re still in line by 7 p.m. you can still cast a ballot.
Again, ahead of voting, make sure to check where your polling place is at scvotes.org. Once on the homepage, click on “Voters,” then “How to Vote” on the left-hand column and scroll down until you can click “Find your precinct.”
Many South Carolina counties have had to close or consolidate polling precincts either due to shortages of poll workers or locations — such as a church or a community center — opting out this primary because of concerns over coronavirus.
In Richland County alone, polling stations have been cut in half.
What should I bring to vote?
You’ll need to bring either a:
▪ S.C. driver’s license;
▪ DMV identification card;
▪ South Carolina voter registration card with a photo;
▪ U.S. passport;
▪ federal military ID;
▪ or you can cast a provisional ballot at your polling precinct if you’re registered but don’t have a proper ID.
County election officials also ask that you bring your own pen and wear a mask, though it’s not required to vote.
Masks cannot have any candidate or political messaging on them.
Voters also are asked to keep at least a 6-foot distance from one another.
Aside from COVID-19 precautions, election officials stress something else to bring: your patience.
“The bottom line is, it’s going to take longer on election night to count the vote,” Chris Whitmire, spokesman for the State Election Commission, said last week. “How much longer? We don’t know.”
