Deadlines for registering to vote in SC’s June primaries are quickly approaching
Poll workers arrange stickers to read "Thanks" at Stiles Point Elementary School on Election Day in on Nov. 3, 2020, in Charleston, South Carolina. (File/Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA — Eligible South Carolinians who want to vote in the June 11 primaries but aren’t yet registered need to sign up this week. There are three ways to do so.
The cut-off to register in person is this Friday, May 10. Applications can be filled out at county election offices as well as Department of Motor Vehicles branches and local offices for state agencies that provide government assistance, including the Department of Social Services.
Two other options give a little more time.
South Carolinians have until midnight Sunday, May 12, to register online. That method requires a state driver’s license or other identification issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. People can also download and mail in a registration form. The mail must be postmarked by Monday, May 13, according to information from the South Carolina Election Commission.
Nearly 3.3 million people are registered to vote in South Carolina, according to the commission.
Almost twice as many new voters have registered in the first quarter of this year as registered in the same time period two years ago, according to state records. In the first quarter of 2024, there were almost 71,000 new registrations, while the first quarter of 2022 saw 39,000.
People don’t register by party in South Carolina.
Every registered voter can vote in either primary. But voters must pick one. They just can’t vote in both. They also can’t cross between parties for primary runoffs. For example, someone who votes in the Democratic primary would be ineligible to vote in a Republican primary runoff, and vice-versa.
Early voting will begin on Tuesday, May 28, and end on Friday, June 7. There is at least one early voting location for each county, and they will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A number of counties have added early voting locations for the June primaries. Two counties, Greenville and Richland, are opening seven locations — the maximum per county allowed under the 2022 early voting law. In the presidential contests, no county opened more than four. Click here for all locations available to voters in each county.
On June 11, polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Many counties consolidated polling locations for the presidential primary to save on cost, but there will not be a systematic consolidation for the June primary, according to a spokesman for the election agency. A few locations may be consolidated if a building is unavailable or due to other conflicts.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is May 31.
To request an absentee ballot, voters must give a reason why they can’t vote in person. Allowed reasons include being out of town for the entire early voting window as well as the day of the primaries, serving in the military, being 65 or older or having a physical disability. Ballots can be returned by mail or in person. People returning a ballot in person must show a photo ID.
Voters who have moved within a county should update their registration, and those who have moved from one county to another need to register in the new county of residence by the deadline.
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