2026 election

Voting in South Carolina

Primary

Held

Tuesday, June 9

Early voting

May 26th – June 5th

General

Tuesday, November 3

Early voting

October 19 – October 31

Register online by: October 4, 11:59pm
Register by mail by: October 5
Register in person by: October 2, 5pm
Request a mail ballot by: October 23, 5pm
Mailed ballot must arrive by: November 3, 7pm

See every race and candidate on your South Carolina ballot, and where each one stands, before you vote.

Plan your ballot →

How to cast your ballot

By mail

must be filed through your county

You need one of these reasons:

Persons who for reasons of employment will not be able to vote during early voting or on election day.
Persons with physical disabilities.
Persons sixty-five years of age or older.
Persons attending sick or physically disabled persons which prevents them from voting during early voting or on election day.
Persons confined to a jail or pre-trial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial which prevents them from voting during early voting or on election day.
Persons admitted to the hospital as emergency patients on Election Day or within a four-day period before the election.
Members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them.
Persons who will be absent from their county of residence during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period, and during the hours the polls are open on election day.

Request a ballot Track your ballot The rules Where to drop it off

In person

Polls open on election day: 7am – 7pm
Or vote early: In the windows shown above

What counts as ID

You will be asked to show photo ID to vote in South Carolina.

Acceptable forms include:

South Carolina driver's license or South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card (includes standard license and REAL ID)
South Carolina Concealed Weapons Permit
South Carolina voter registration card with photo
US military ID (includes all Department of Defense photo IDs and Veterans Affairs benefits card)
US passport (includes US Passport ID Card)

Voters without ID: If you have a reasonable impediment to obtaining photo ID, you may vote a provisional ballot after showing your non-photo voter registration card. If you do not have photo ID and do not have a reasonable impediment to obtaining one, or you simply forgot to bring it with you to the polls, you may still vote a provisional ballot. However, for your vote to be counted, you must provide one of the photo IDs to the election commission prior to certification of the election (usually Thursday or Friday after the election).

Find your polling place Early voting

Before you can vote

Registering

Ways to register:

Who can register, and what you need

To register in South Carolina you must:

be a United States citizen
be at least 18 years old on or before the next election
be a resident of South Carolina in the county and precinct in which you are registering
claim the address on your voter registration application as your only legal place of residence and claim no other place as your legal residence
not be under a court order declaring you mentally incompetent
not be confined in any public prison resulting from a conviction of a crime
never have been 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

Check if you are registered Register

Which primary can you vote in?

You are NOT required to register with a party to participate in South Carolina partisan primary elections.

Also on the calendar

Local elections in parts of South Carolina. Only voters in the place named take part.

September 1 state senate district 15

Also voted on June 9: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota.

Dates, deadlines and rules come from DemocracyWorks, last refreshed August 27, 2026; poll hours from our own election guide. Rules change — check with your election office before you rely on a date.