Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in South Carolina
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for South Carolina, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the South Carolina Election Commission or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 8.
Key dates
- Register online by
Sunday, October 4
By 11:59 p.m. Sunday, October 4. Fax and email registrations have the same deadline.
- Register by mail by
Monday, October 5
Postmarked, not received: the form must be postmarked by October 5.
- Register in person by
Friday, October 2
5 p.m. Friday, October 2 at your county voter registration office, unless your county holds weekend hours.
- Same-day registration
No
No same-day registration: you must be registered by the deadline to vote in this election.
- Early voting
Monday, October 19 to Saturday, October 31
- How early voting works
Vote at any early voting center in your county, Monday to Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Centers are closed Sunday, October 25. Bring your photo ID.
- Request a mail ballot by
Friday, October 23
The application must be returned to your county voter registration office by 5 p.m. Friday, October 23. You first request an application by phone, in person or by mail.
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received, not postmarked: your county voter registration office must receive the ballot by 7 p.m. on Election Day. The state advises mailing it at least a week early. The voter's oath must be signed and witnessed by any adult; no notary needed.
- Election Day polling hours
7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Anyone in line at 7 p.m. can vote.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
You need a reason to vote by mail
Absentee voting by mail needs a qualifying reason, including: age 65 or older, a physical disability, military service (and spouses and dependents), or work, caregiving, jail or being away from your county during all early voting hours and all Election Day hours. Early in-person voting is open to everyone.
- Drop boxes
No
No drop boxes. By law (S.C. Code § 7-15-385) a ballot may be returned only by mail to the county office, or by hand to an election official at the county office or an early voting center during office hours, where you must show photo ID.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Civilian absentee ballots must arrive by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Military and overseas ballots are accepted through 5 p.m. November 5.
ID at the polls
- The rule
Photo ID requested
Photo ID is required, but a voter who could not get one can vote a provisional ballot after signing a 'reasonable impediment' affidavit, and it counts unless shown to be false. A voter who simply forgot their ID votes a provisional ballot that counts only if they show the ID to the county office before certification.
- What to bring
Show one current photo ID: a South Carolina driver's license or DMV ID card, a South Carolina voter registration card with photo, a U.S. passport, or a federal military ID. If you don't have one and couldn't get one, bring your non-photo voter registration card and sign a reasonable-impediment affidavit to vote a provisional ballot.
When will we know results in South Carolina?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
7 p.m. Eastern time
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Sunday, November 1
From 7 a.m. Sunday, November 1 (the second day before the election), county boards may check oaths and witness signatures, open the outer envelopes and remove the 'Ballot Herein' envelopes (S.C. Code § 7-15-420(B)).
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Tuesday, November 3
Ballots may be removed and tabulated from 7 a.m. on Election Day. Results may not be released until polls close; releasing them early is a felony (§ 7-15-420(D)–(E)).
- Counties finish their count by
Thursday, November 5
By 1 p.m. Thursday, November 5, county boards hold provisional-ballot hearings, complete the canvass, certify results and order any county-level recounts.
- State certifies results
Friday, November 6
The State Board of Canvassers meets at 3 p.m. Friday, November 6 to canvass, certify and order any state-level recounts.
- Automatic recount
1% or less
Mandatory when the margin is 1% or less of the votes cast for the office, unless the trailing candidate waives it in writing. Also mandatory for a constitutional amendment or question decided by 1% or less (S.C. Code § 7-17-280).
- Runoff
No runoff — the candidate with the most votes wins
Every runoff provision in them is for a second primary or a special-election primary runoff (for example, the canvass section covers "the primaries and the runoffs"); none provides for a general-election runoff.
- Ranked-choice voting
Not used
S.C. Code title 7, chapters 7-11 to 7-19 contain no ranked-choice voting for general elections. The only ranking-style ballot is the "absentee instant runoff ballot" in § 7-15-650, sent to military and overseas voters for a possible second primary, which does not apply to the general election.
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority of those voting on the question. Constitutional amendments approved by voters must then be ratified by the next General Assembly (Art. XVI, § 1).
- New governor takes office
Wednesday, January 13, 2027
Computed: the term begins at noon on the first Wednesday after the second Tuesday in January (Art. IV, § 4).
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at South Carolina Election Commission.