Voting In South Carolina

• 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

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.

If you registered to vote by mail after January 1, 2004, you are required to submit a form of identification with the voter registration application, including a copy of a 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 your county. If you did not submit a form of ID with the mail-in voter registration application you will be required to show an additional form of ID at the polls in addition to your voter registration card. This could include one of the following forms of ID:

• Your voter registration card
• Your driver's license
• A picture ID card issued by the department of motor vehicles

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 register at any time. If you move from one SC county to another within 30 days of the primary or general election, you have two options on Election day:

To verify your voter registration status please use your state's voter verification tool.

You may vote by absentee ballot for any of the following reasons:

• You are a student, a student's spouse or a dependent residing with a student
• For reasons of employment you will not be able to vote on Election Day
• You are a physically disabled person
• You are on vacation
• You are 65 or older
• You have been admitted to the hospital as an emergency patient on Election Day or at least four days prior to the election (May 30, 2008 for the primary election)
• You have a death or funeral in the family within three days before the election
• You are confined to jail or a pre-trial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial
• You are attending to a sick or physically disabled person(s)
• You are a certified poll watcher or poll manager

You can begin applying for an absentee ballot as early as January 1st to for any election held during that same year. You can apply in person, by phone (unless you are an authorized representative), by mail, or by contacting the voter registration office in the county in which you are registered.

If you are unable to request an absentee ballot for yourself, you can have someone from your immediate family or an "authorized representative" request a ballot for you. An authorized representative is a registered voter who, with your permission, can request an absentee ballot application on behalf of a voter who qualifies because of illness or handicap. Candidates and paid campaign workers may not serve as an authorized representative.

If applying by mail, the county voter registration office must receive your application no later than four days prior to the election. You may apply and vote in person up until 5:00 pm the day before the election.

To have your absentee ballot returned by a person other than yourself, it is necessary to complete an "authorization to return absentee ballot form." You will complete part one and the person returning the ballot will complete part two of the form. Your completed absentee ballot must be placed in the "ballots herein" envelope provided with your absentee ballot which will then be placed inside the return envelope which you must sign and have witnessed before returning.

If you are unable to write because of physical handicap or illiteracy you may receive help in applying for and marking your ballot. You must make your mark and have the mark witnessed by someone you choose.

You can check the status of your absentee ballot here.

Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation.

If the ballots are prepared, you can vote on the day you submit your absentee ballot application in person.You can vote in person, prior to Election Day, until 5pm the day before the election.

The next election will be held on Tuesday, June 8, 2010 (Saturday, May 8, 2010: Registration Deadline). Please check with your local board of elections office for information on local elections. You can also use your state's resource.

In order to be a poll worker in South Carolina:

• You must be registered to vote in South Carolina
• You will be entitled to compensation
• You must be at least 18 years of age
• You must be a resident of the county 30 days prior to the election
• You must complete required training
• Students 16 years or older may serve as poll manager’s assistant

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

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

Time off to vote is subject to the employer. South Carolina state law does not require employers to grant time off to vote for employees.

You can find your polling place by utilizing VOTE411's poll locator tool. Some states and local jurisdictions provide their own poll locators. You can confirm your voting location by selecting from the following local resources: South Carolina State Poll Locator Tool.

You are entitled to cast a provisional ballot if:

• A poll manager or any voter has reason to believe that you might be ineligible to vote
• Your name does not appear on the voter registration rolls

All provisional ballots are kept separate and not counted on election night. It will be counted if your registration is verified. You will be given written instructions on the time and place of the provisional ballot hearings and, if the voter registration office can determine you were registered, the provisional ballot will be counted. You can check the status of your provisional ballot online.

The voting system used in South Carolina is DRE.

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.

There are many variations of DREs because lots of companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session.

Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show “pages.” On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a “touch screen,” where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. And some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for.

You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad.

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

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.

For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.