South Carolina

If you are registering for the first time by mail, you must attach a copy of a current valid photo ID or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and address in the county where you wish to vote. If you do not provide this identification information by mail, you will be required to provide it when you vote.

To be eligible to vote in South Carolina you must be:

• A United States citizen
• At least 18 years old on or before the election
• A resident of South Carolina
• Not under a court order declaring you mentally incompetent
• Not confined in any public prison resulting from a conviction of a crime
• Not convicted of a felony or offense against the election laws or if previously convicted, have served the entire sentence, including probation or parole, or have received a pardon for the conviction

You must be registered 30 days prior to Election Day. Registration by mail applications must be postmarked at least 30 days prior to that particular election to be eligible.

There is no length of residency requirement in South Carolina in order to register to vote.

You can find your polling place by utilizing your state resource.

If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

You can vote early in person by visiting your county voter registration office and completing an application for absentee ballot. You may then vote absentee in person until 5pm on the day before the election.

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependant of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize Overseas Vote Foundation.

If you have additional questions about elections and voting overseas you can use our state specific elections official directory or contact the Overseas Vote Foundation.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures may be available here.

To see a list of available races, visit the race index.

The voting system used in South Carolina is DRE. Optical Scan machines are used for mail-out absentee ballots.

Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest kind of system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen.

The polls will be open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Assistance in marking a ballot is allowed only if you are blind, illiterate or physically handicapped. If you are entitled to receive assistance you may choose anyone to assist except your employer, an agent of your employer, or an officer or agent of your union. If you, because of physical handicap or age (65 or older,) cannot enter the polling place in which you are registered to vote, or are unable to stand in line to vote, you may vote outside that polling place in the closest available parking area utilizing the vehicle in which you have driven or have been driven to the polls.