SC voter registration guide: How to check registration, early voting, what to know

South Carolina, long seen as a state that picks presidents, is months away from two presidential primaries that could play a consequential role in the race for the highest office in the U.S.

But that's not all. Voters should also expect to gear up for a stacked year as the entire Statehouse as well as key local races will be up for re-election.

Starting off the election cycle, Democrats will host their presidential primary on Feb. 3, 2024, and the Republicans will host their presidential primary on Feb. 24, 2024.

State primaries for congressional, state and local races will be held on June 11, 2024, and races that end in runoffs will regroup for voting on June 25, 2024. The races will determine each qualified party's nominee in the general election.

The general election is scheduled for Nov. 5, 2024.

Here's a guide for voters to weave through the information related to registration and eligibility:

How to register to vote in South Carolina

To be eligible to vote, you must be a U.S. citizen, be 18 years old on or before the next election, and live in the city, county and precinct, in which you are registering to vote.

You must also not be under a court order declaring you mentally incompetent, not be confined in prison, have felony charges or have charges related to election law violations. You are eligible to vote if you have completed your sentence, including probation and parole or have been pardoned.

You must be registered to vote 30 days before an election. If an application is sent by mail, make sure it's postmarked by the 30th day before an election. In case the registration deadline falls on a weekend or a holiday, applications postmarked on the next day will be accepted.

Voters can register online, by mail or in person.

Online: Use this portal and keep your valid S.C. Driver’s License or DMV ID handy. If you have moved, you must first update your address with the DMV. You can update your address here. By mail: Download an application at scvotes.gov and mail, fax or email the application to the county voter and election office. You can find your county office here. Make sure you attach with your application a photocopy of a valid photo I.D. or other documents like a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government document showing your name and address in your county.

In-person: Visit your county voter registration and elections office. You can find your county office here. Carry a photocopy of a valid photo I.D. or other documents like a utility bill, bank statement, paycheck or government document showing your name and address in your county.

Voters who have moved to a new county need to re-register to vote in that county as a "new registration."

For other changes to name and address within the same county, voters can make changes online at scVOTES.gov or use the registration application form.

South Carolina voters do not register as affiliated with a political party. They can vote in one of the two presidential primaries regardless of their past voting record. But they cannot vote in both.

In the June primaries, voters will declare their political party and vote for a candidate to be the nominee for their chosen party.

How to vote in South Carolina

South Carolina does not allow mail-in voting. Voters can vote on election day and have two other options to vote. Let's break them down.

Voting in person or on election day

If you plan on voting in person on Election Day, you can check for polling locations on scvotes.org. Please carry a valid photo I.D. when going to vote.

Early Voting

You can vote in the two-week early voting period, which begins 15 days before an election and ends three days before the election day. Voters can check for polling locations on scvotes.org.

Please carry a valid photo I.D. when going to vote.

Absentee voting

Absentee voting is a process where a voter needs to file an application with the election office and justify why they can't appear in person to vote. For this process, they need a witness and photo I.D.

The voter can request the application by phone, mail or in person. They must then return the application no later than 11 days before election day in person or by mail. Email, fax, andonline applications are not allowed.

Ballots will then be mailed to the address on the voter’s application. The voter must then sign the voter’s oath on the ballot return envelope. They will need to do that in front of a witness who is at least 18 years old. The witness will have to provide their signature, name and address. If the envelope is not properly signed and witnessed, the absentee ballot does not count. Drop boxes are prohibited, the voter will have to send the ballot back in person or by mail.