South Carolina's Paper-Based Voting System
Get Your Sample Ballot Here
Photo ID
When voting in person, you will be asked to show one of the following Photo IDs at your polling place:
- SC Driver's License
- SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card
- SC Voter Registration Card with Photo
- Federal Military ID
- US Passport
Click here to learn more about photo ID required at the polling place.
Where to Vote
Download a List of Polling Places & Addresses
When to Vote
Polling places are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. Anyone in line at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
Absentee Voting
Qualified voters can vote absentee in person or by mail. Photo ID is required to vote absentee in person. Photo ID is not required to vote absentee by mail.
Click here for information on absentee voting.
Check Your Vote
Check the status of your provisional ballot.
Check the status of your absentee ballot.
Straight Party Voting
Click here to learn how straight party voting works in S.C.
Failsafe Voting
Failsafe voting is designed to allow voters who have moved but failed to update their address to update their address on election day and vote. Failsafe voting is available to voters in the following situations:
- Voter moves from one address to another within the same precinct.
- Voter moves from one precinct to another within the same county.
- Voter moves from one South Carolina county to another within 30 days of an election.
- Voter moves from one state to another after the deadline to register to vote in a Presidential election in the new state of residence.
- Voter moves from one address to another within the same precinct.
- Voter may vote a full ballot at the precinct after completing a change of address form.
- Voter moves from one precinct to another within the same county.
Voter has two options:
1. Go to previous polling place and vote a limited, failsafe ballot containing only federal, statewide, and countywide offices. The voter's updated address is recorded on failsafe ballot envelope.
2. Go to voter registration office, complete a change of address form, and vote a full ballot.
Voter moves from one South Carolina county to another within 30 days of an election
Voter has two options:
1. Go to polling place in previous county of residence and vote a limited, failsafe ballot containing only federal, statewide, and countywide offices. The voter's updated address is recorded on failsafe ballot envelope.
2. Go to voter registration office in current county of residence, complete a change of address form, and vote a full ballot.
Voter moves from one state to another after the deadline to register to vote in a Presidential election in the new state of residence.
The voter may vote an absentee ballot containing only President. The voter should contact the appropriate absentee voting office in his previous state and county of residence. (42 U.S.C. § 1973aa-1(e))
Failsafe Voting in Municipal Elections
Failsafe voting also applies to municipal elections, with one exception:
A voter must have resided within the municipality for 30 days or more prior to the election to be eligible to vote. So if a voter has moved from outside a specific municipality to inside that municipality and the move occurred after the 30 day mark; failsafe does not apply.
More Information
For more information or to address issues concerning voting on Election Day, contact your County Election Commission.