Voting in South Carolina

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Typically, voters must provide an approved excuse to vote absentee/by-mail in South Carolina.

COVID-19 UPDATE: All voters may use the excuse “State of Emergency” to request an absentee ballot.

To request an absentee ballot in South Carolina, complete, sign, and return the application with your original, non-digital signature to your county voter registration office by email, mail, fax, or personal delivery. If submitting the application via email or fax, a scanned version of the signature is sufficient.

Click here to track your South Carolina absentee ballot.

To return your South Carolina absentee ballot, mail it back or return it to your county voter registration office in person. The absentee ballot comes with an oath that must be signed and addressed by the voter and one witness.

Voters must provide an approved excuse to vote early/absentee-in-person in South Carolina.

South Carolina has open primaries, but you are only allowed to participate in one party’s primary (this affiliation lasts only for primaries, except in the case of a runoff where you must vote the same as you voted in the primary) 17-year-olds can vote in the primary election if they will be 18 by the corresponding general election.

Photo ID is required to vote in South Carolina. Valid forms of ID include:
- SC Driver's License
- SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card (includes SC Concealed Weapons Permit)
- SC Voter Registration Card with Photo
- Federal Military ID (includes all Department of Defense Photo IDs and Veterans Affairs Benefits Card)
- US Passport (includes US Passport ID Card)

If you do not have an approved form of ID, you can get a free Photo ID from your county voter registration and elections office or your local DMV office. If you're already registered to vote, you can go to your county voter registration and elections office, provide your date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security Number, and have your photo taken.

If you go to your polling place without an approved form of ID, you may vote a provisional ballot that will count only if you show your Photo ID to the election commission prior to certification of the election (usually Thursday or Friday after the election).

If you can’t get a photo ID, you can bring your voter registration card to polls, vote a provisional ballot, and sign an affidavit stating you have a reasonable impediment to obtaining Photo ID. A reasonable impediment is any valid reason, beyond your control, which created an obstacle to obtaining a photo ID. This ballot will count unless someone proves to the election commission that you are lying about your identity or about having the listed impediment.