SC’s GOP primary is Saturday. Here’s what to know before going to the polls.

South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary is Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024. Polling places open at 7 a.m. for in-person voting. (Kate Brindley | New Hampshire Bulletin)

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COLUMBIA – South Carolinians will have an opportunity to have their say in the Republican presidential primary on Saturday.

Voters can choose among candidates including former President Donald Trump and former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley. Also on the ballot are two long-shot candidates — Pastor Ryan Binkley of Texas and veteran Air Force combat pilot David Stuckenberg of Florida.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. Anyone still in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

Because voters in South Carolina do not register by party, any registered voter in the state who did not vote in the Democratic primary is eligible to cast a ballot.

Those voting in person must show some form of government-issued photo identification, which can include a South Carolina driver’s license, state Department of Motor Vehicles ID, voter registration card (if it has a photo), military ID or a passport. Anyone without one of these forms of ID can cast a provisional ballot by bringing a voter registration card without a photo and signing an affidavit.

Residents can find their polling place by visiting the Election Commission website. The website also shows a sample ballot.

Voters should be aware that a few candidates listed are not actually in the running anymore. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie all withdrew after the ballot was finalized.

The State Election Commission will hang posters at polling places showing which candidates have withdrawn.

Thursday marked the last day of early voting for those who chose to cast their ballot ahead of the GOP primary. According to the Election Commission, 205,099 people voted early in the primary and 12,018 people had cast absentee ballots ahead of Saturday.

That number far greater than the total number of South Carolinians who voted in the Democratic primary, which drew about 131,000 voters.

Voters who received an absentee ballot can still return that ballot in person to their county registration office by 7 p.m. Saturday and have it counted, although they will need to present a photo ID when they return the ballot.

This story was published earlier by the South Carolina Daily Gazette, an affiliate of the nonprofit States Newsroom network, which includes the Florida Phoenix.

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