South Carolina does not offer any early voting, nor do they let everyone vote absentee/by mail. However, some of the excuses for voting absentee/by mail are broad and could apply to many voters. Check to see if you qualify for an absentee/VBM ballot before planning to vote on Election Day.
If you can vote by mail, to avoid possible postal delays impacting your vote, we recommend mailing your completed ballot back by Tuesday, October 13th. Plan to drop it off by hand after that.
If you are concerned about your absentee ballot returning on time through the mail, visit our other page to learn how to drop your ballot off in person.
Registering In Person: October 2, 2020
Registering By Mail: Postmarked October 5, 2020
Registering Online: October 4, 2020
Request In Person: Received October 24, 2020
Request By Mail: Received October 24, 2020
Request Online: N/A
Ballots must be received before polls close by 7PM local time, delivered either by mail or in person to your county voter registration and elections office on or before November 3, 2020.
We strongly recommend mailing your ballot much earlier (by October 13th) and, if that's not possible, dropping it off in person. Learn how below or on our other page.
Normally, yes.
In the past, you needed to fall under one of the categories below in order to request an absentee ballot.
Members of the Armed Forces (click here for additional information)
Members of the Merchant Marine (click here for additional information)
Spouses and dependents residing with members of the Armed Forces or Merchant Marine (click here for additional information)
Persons serving with the American Red Cross or with the United Service Organizations (USO) who are attached to and serving with the Armed Forces outside their county of residence and their spouses and dependents residing with them (click here for additional information)
Citizens residing overseas (click here for additional information)
Persons who are physically disabled (includes illnesses and injuries)
Students attending school outside their county of residence and their spouses and dependents residing with them
Persons who for reasons of employment will not be able to vote on election day
Government employees serving outside their county of residence on Election Day and their spouses and dependents residing with them
Persons who plan to be on vacation outside their county of residence on Election Day
Persons serving as a juror in state or federal court on Election Day
Persons admitted to the hospital as emergency patients on Election Day or within a four-day period before the election
Persons with a death or funeral in the family within three days before the election
Persons confined to a jail or pre-trial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial
Persons attending sick or physically disabled persons
Certified poll watchers, poll managers, and county election officials working on Election Day
Persons sixty-five years of age or older
Yes; the absentee ballot envelope must be signed by the voter and a witness (not necessarily a notary, but that would be acceptable). Military and overseas voters are exempt from the witness requirement.
You can deliver your ballot by hand to two main locations:
Dropped off in person at your county voter registration and elections office by 7PM on Election Day (November 3)
Yes, if a voter authorizes another person to return the ballot in writing.
A candidate or a member of a candidate's paid campaign staff, including volunteers reimbursed for time expended on campaign activity, is not permitted to serve as an authorized returnee for any person unless the person is a member of the voter's immediate family.
No.
7AM - 7PM
If you are in line when polls close, you are legally entitled to vote. Don't leave!
ID Requested; Photo Not Required
If a voter has a reasonable impediment to presenting a photo ID, he or she can show a voter registration card. Otherwise the voter who doesn't show an ID votes a provisional ballot and must show an ID within a few days of the election.
A South Carolina driver’s license;
A photo ID issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles;
A U.S. passport;
A military ID with a photo; or
A South Carolina voter registration card with a photo.
If you have experienced a reasonable impediment in getting a valid photo ID, bring your non-photo voter registration card with you to the polling place. You may vote a provisional ballot after signing an affidavit stating you have a reasonable impediment to obtaining a valid photo ID.
A reasonable impediment is any valid reason, beyond your control, which created an obstacle to obtaining a Photo ID. Some examples include: A disability or illness, a conflict with your work schedule, a lack of transportation, a lack of a birth certificate, family responsibilities, a religious objection to being photographed, or any other obstacle you find reasonable.
This ballot will count unless someone proves to the election commission that you are lying about your identity or about having the identified impediment.