COLUMBIA– Gov. Henry McMaster signed into law on May 13 legislation passed by the General Assembly that established early voting in South Carolina.
To help prepare for the upcoming June 14 primaries, the State Election Commission wants voters to know all their options to vote.
Voters can vote at their polling place on Election Day (June 14), which will be open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
In-person absentee voting has now been replaced with a two-week early voting period. Any voter can visit an early-voting location in their county and vote like they would at their polling place on Election Day.
Early voting is from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31 – Friday, June 10 at the Marlboro County Voter Registration and Election office.
There is no voting on Saturday and Sunday, June 4 – 5.
Absentee voting allows qualified voters to cast a ballot by mail prior to Election Day. In-Person Absentee Voting is no longer authorized by law.
Qualified voters include voters with disabilities; voters sixty-five years of age or older; members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them; voters admitted to hospitals as emergency patients on the day of an election or within a four-day period before the election; voters who, for one of the following reasons, are unable to vote in person on any day of the early-voting period or on Election Day; employment obligations; attending sick or physically disabled persons; confined to a jail or pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial; or absent from their county for any reason.
To vote absentee, you must request an absentee application by phone, mail, or in person at your county voter registration office. Complete, sign and return the application to your county voter registration office by mail or in person. County offices will soon begin issuing new applications based on the new requirements.
The old application will continue to be accepted through May 31. After May 31, only new applications meeting current requirements will be accepted. The deadline to return a new application is June 3.
You will receive your absentee ballot in the mail.
Vote and return your ballot to your county voter registration office by mail or in person no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Be sure to sign the voter’s oath and have the return envelope witnessed. There are no changes to the witness requirement in effect for the June Primaries. Witness requirement changes in the law go into effect in July.
Photo ID will be required to return your ballot in person.
Ballots returned by mail should be mailed no later than one week prior to election day to help ensure timely delivery.
For information, call Marlboro County Voter Registration and Election office at 843-479-5612.