Primary Voters Must Register by Wednesday

Unregistered voters wanting to vote during the Jan. 21 Republican presidential preference primary must register by Wednesday, according to the state Election Commission. 

If mailing in registration (applications here) make sure they are postmarked by Wednesday, Dec. 21, to join the state's 2.7 million voters before the primary.

To register to vote, an S.C. voter must be at least 18 years old before the next election, a resident of South Carolina, not under court order declaring person mentally incompetent, no be confinded to a public prison resulting from a conviction of a crime, or  have never been convicted of a felony.

Click here to read more about restrictions.

Absentee voting is currently underway and must be postmarked Jan. 17. Deadline to turn in absentee vote in-person is 5 p.m. Jan. 20. 

This primary, the state will be enforcing its new law which will require voters to present identification to vote. 

According to the election commission, voters must have one of the following items to vote on election day:

• Voter Registration Card
• Driver's License
• DMV-issued ID Card 

If you registered to vote by mail, are voting for the first time, and did not submit proof of ID with your application, you may not vote with only your voter registration card. Additional ID, such as a driver's license, will be required.