Early voting period begins for 2024 general election

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolinians can now head to the polls to cast their ballots for the November election.

The state’s early voting period kicked off Monday and it goes through the next two weeks.

In addition to the presidential race, every seat at the State House is up for election.

South Carolina voters won’t see any statewide races this year, but there will be one statewide referendum, seats for the U.S. House of Representatives and local races.

Georgia and North Carolina have already shattered early voting records – and lines stretched outside voting centers in some parts of South Carolina on the first day of early voting Monday.

This is the first presidential election since the enactment of a 2022 state law to establish South Carolina’s no-excuse, early-voting period.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw the highest early voting turnout in one day at some point during the early voting period, and then I would expect that the total early voting period will be higher than any other election,” said John Catalano, with the South Carolina Election Commission.

Every county has at least one early voting location open to all registered voters who live there – but some have multiple – and as many as seven.

• All early voting locations in South Carolina

You can vote early, in person for the next two weeks – from Monday through the Saturday before Election Day – excluding Sunday, October 27.

All early voting centers are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“It’s a very smooth, easy, and secure process,” Catalano said.

Voters need to show a photo I.D. to cast their ballot. Acceptable forms of this include a South Carolina driver’s license, a South Carolina concealed weapons permit, a South Carolina voter registration card and photo, a United States military ID or a United States passport.

“It is typically a quicker process, because you’re spreading out the voting across two weeks rather than confining it to a 12-hour period on Election Day. So yes, lines do typically tend to be lower for early voting,” he said.

Of course, voters can cast their ballot in person on Election Day, Nov. 5.

Eligible voters have until this Friday to request a mail-in absentee ballot, but state law requires they meet certain criteria to do that, like being 65 and older, or having work obligations that prevent them from voting in person.

Early voting will last from Monday, Oct. 21 to Saturday, Nov. 2 with early voting centers being open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Different South Carolina residents will have different ballots depending on the county and district where they live. To request a sample of your ballot before heading to the polls, go to SC Votes website.

It is important to note that early voting centers might be different than where you vote on Election Day.

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