South Carolina Absentee Voter Guide

Military and overseas voters should check out the Overseas Vote Foundation.  Long Distance Voter's forms and deadlines should only be used by voters with US mailing addresses.

Deadlines

Voter Registration

To be eligible to register in South Carolina you MUST:

• be a United States citizen
• be at least eighteen years old on or before the next election
• be a resident of South Carolina, this county and precinct
• not be under a court order declaring you mentally incompetent
• not be confined in any public prison resulting from a conviction of a crime
• have never 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.

There is no length of residency requirement in South Carolina in order to register to vote. You can register at any time.  Students may register to vote where they attend college only if they establish that they are a resident of that community. In establishing such residence, students must demonstrate that they have a present intention to remain in the community.

How to register to vote:

• Recommended: Use our Voter Registration Widget. Enter your information, print and sign the completed form, and mail it to the address printed on the form.  
• You can also  download and complete the South Carolina voter registration application. Mail your completed form to your county voter registration office.

ID requirements for first-time voters:

South Carolina requires all applicants to include their full Social Security number on their voter registration forms.  This number is used to make sure that one person has not registered multiple times.  If you are registering for the first time in your county, you MUST attach a copy of a current and valid photo ID that shows your name OR a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and South Carolina address.  If you do not provide your ID, you'll have to provide it the first time you vote.  

Voter registration verification:

You should receive written confirmation that your voter registration was processed in 2-3 weeks.  Don't panic if you never receive your voter registration card: you don't actually need it to vote.  If you not sure if your registration was processed - or if you simply can't remember if you're register to vote - you can use the voter registration verification tools here.

Absentee Voting

To vote absentee, you must be a registered voter and meet one of the following criteria:

• You are a student, a student's spouse or a dependent residing with a student
• Your employment prevents you from voting in person 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
• 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 are a member of the Armed Forces, Merchant Marines, Red Cross, USO, government employees, their spouse or dependent residing with them
• You are an overseas citizen
• You are serving as a juror in a state or federal court on election day

How to apply for an absentee ballot:

You can begin applying on January 1 for any election held during that same year.  South Carolina prepares a personalized absentee ballot application for each voter who wishes to vote absentee.  Contact your county voter registration office and ask them to mail you an absentee ballot application.  We recommend calling, since this is the fastest way to get your application.  (If you're unable to request an application for yourself, you can ask a member of your immediate family to request it for you.  If you are ill or physically disabled, you may designate an authorized representative to request it for you.  Candidates and paid campaign workers may not serve as authorized representatives, except for a member of their own family.  Contact your county voter registration office if you have additional questions.)

Your county election official will process your request and mail your absentee ballot application.  Complete the application and return it to your county voter registration office.  Once your application is processed, they'll mail you the absentee ballot.

Your absentee ballot application must be received no later than 5pm four days before the election.  We recommend, however, submitting your completed application no later than four weeks before the election; and of course requesting your application quite a bit before that.

You can check the status of your absentee ballot application online at the South Carolina Election Commission's website. 

ID requirements for absentee voters:

If you are a first-time South Carolina voter and you registered by mail without submitting a photocopy of ID, you should provide a copy of your ID with your absentee ballot application.  If you forget, you'll need to include it with your absentee ballot.  Acceptable forms of ID include a current and valid photo ID that shows your name OR a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or other government document that shows your name and South Carolina address.  If you never provide ID, you're ballot will be considered a provisional ballot, which means it might not be counted. 

If you are a first-time South Carolina voter and you registered to vote in person you do not need to provide additional ID with your absentee ballot.

If you have already voted in your South Carolina county, either in person or by absentee ballot, you do not need to provide ID during the absentee voting process.  

Emergency absentee ballots:

The deadline to apply for a regular absentee ballot is four days before an election.  Voters admitted to the hospital as an emergency patient on the day of the election or within four days of the election can have an immediate family member apply and carry a ballot to the voter. Contact your county election commission/voter registration office for information on how to obtain an emergency absentee ballot.

Absentee ballot instructions:

Your completed absentee ballot must be placed in the "Ballots Herein" envelope provided with your absentee ballot. The "Ballots Herein" envelope will then be placed inside a "Return Envelope" which you must sign and have witnessed before returning.

Ballots must be returned to your county voter registration office by 5:00 p.m. on election day.  Absentee ballots may be returned either by mail or in person.  An absentee ballot may also be returned by an authorized representative by completing "Authorization to Return Absentee Ballot Form." 
Candidates and paid campaign workers may not serve as authorized representatives, except for members of their own family.  Contact your county voter registration office to receive the form.

Additional Information