Can you legally vote in SC statewide primary without a driver’s license? What the law says
If you want to vote in the South Carolina statewide primary elections, there are ways to do so even without a driver’s license.
The primary election will be held on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Every state House and Senate seat — 170 races across the state — will be on the ballot. Candidates for sheriff will also be on the Republican primary ballot in Lexington County. Running are Sheriff Jay Koon, Alan Driggers, who retired from the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, and Billy Warren, a former deputy in the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department and former South Carolina Highway Patrol officer.
However, with all the hustle and bustle of the day on the way to the polls, some registered voters might forget to bring their driver’s license to identify themselves. Still others might not have a driver’s license.
Though a driver’s license is the most standard form of identification the state accepts before letting residents vote, it’s not the only one.
According to scvotes.gov, residents voting in person can bring any one of the following photo IDs to their polling place.
- SC driver’s license
- SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID card, which includes SC concealed weapons permit
- SC voter registration card with photo
- U.S. passport
- Federal military ID, which includes all Department of Defense photo IDs and the Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Card
What if you have a Photo ID but forget to bring it?
Even if you don’t have a photo ID in person at your polling place, you can still vote with a provisional ballot, scvotes.gov states. However, the ballot will only count if you show your Photo ID to your county voter registration office before the certification of an election, which is usually on Thursday or Friday.
What if you don’t have any photo IDs?
- Even even if you don’t have any of the photo IDs listed above, South Carolina has set up ways for you to vote if you’re already registered.
- You can visit your local elections office to get a SC voter registration card with a photo, even on Election Day, scvotes.gov states.
- When you arrive, provide your date of birth and the last four digits of your social security number.
- If you cannot get a photo ID, bring your voter registration card with you to your polling place.
You can vote on a provisional ballot and sign an affidavit stating you have a reasonable impediment to obtaining a photo ID, scvotes.gov states. The ballot will count unless the county board of voter registration and elections proves you are lying about your identity or your reasonable impediment. Some reasonable examples include:
- A disability or illness
- A conflict with work schedule
- A lack of transportation
- A lack of birth certificate
- Family responsibilities
- A religious objection to being photographed
