Election officials urge voters to verify polling locations before heading to the polls
By Delayna Earley
The Island News
With South Carolina’s June 9 primary election approaching, Beaufort County election officials are encouraging voters to double-check their polling locations after several precincts were temporarily relocated and a new precinct was added for the upcoming primary and any runoff election scheduled for June 23.
The Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections announced the changes in May. The relocations are temporary and apply only to the June 9 primary and June 23 runoff election.
The changes affect voters in the Sheldon area, on Lady’s Island, on St. Helena Island and in portions of the Chechessee and Riverbend communities.
Election Day voting will take place Tuesday, June 9, with polls open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Voters must cast their ballots at their assigned precinct on Election Day. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in a primary race, a runoff election will be held June 23.
Early voting is underway and continues through Thursday, June 5. Early voting centers are open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. at the Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections office, the St. Helena Branch Library, the Bluffton Branch Library and the University of South Carolina Beaufort’s Hilton Head campus.
Voters are required to present a valid photo ID before casting a ballot. Acceptable forms of identification include a South Carolina driver’s license, a South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles-issued photo identification card, a voter registration card with a photograph, a military identification card, a Veterans Affairs identification card or a United States passport.
Election officials are encouraging all voters, even those whose precincts are not among the temporary relocations, to verify their polling location before Election Day by using the South Carolina Election Commission’s “Find My Polling Place” tool or by contacting the Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections at 843-255-6900.
The changes include several temporary polling place relocations as well as the creation of a new precinct in the Chechessee area.
Temporary precinct changes
New Precinct
- Chechessee 1 & 3 → Thomas C. Barnwell Administration Building
Sheldon Area
- Sheldon 1 → Elijah Washington Medical Center
- Sheldon 2 → Booker T. Washington Community Center, 182 Booker T. Washington Drive, Yemassee
Lady’s Island
- Lady’s Island 1A → Grace Chapel A.M.E., 10 Holly Hall Road
- Lady’s Island 1B → Sea Pines Presbyterian Church
- Lady’s Island 3B → The Retreat at Lady’s Island, 9 Sunset Blvd.
- Lady’s Island 4A → Lady’s Island Middle School
- Lady’s Island 4B → Lady’s Island Elementary School
St. Helena Island
- St. Helena 1A → St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road
- St. Helena 1B → Scott Community Center
Chechessee / Riverbend
- Chechessee 2 → Okatie Elementary School, 53 Cherry Point Road, Okatie
- Riverbend 1 & 2 → Okatie Elementary School, 53 Cherry Point Road, Okatie
County officials said the relocations are temporary and apply only to the June 9 primary and June 23 runoff elections.
What voters need to know
Election Day: Tuesday, June 9
Poll Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Potential Runoff: Tuesday, June 23
Early Voting
- Through Thursday, June 5
- Monday through Friday
- 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Early Voting Locations
- Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections Office, 15 John Galt Road, Beaufort
- St. Helena Branch Library, 6355 Jonathan Francis Sr. Road
- Bluffton Branch Library, 120 Palmetto Way
- USCB Hilton Head Campus, 1 Sand Shark Drive
Acceptable Photo ID
- South Carolina driver’s license
- South Carolina DMV-issued photo ID card
- Voter registration card with photo
- Military ID
- Veterans Affairs ID
- U.S. passport
For additional information or to verify a polling location, voters may contact the Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections at 843-255-6900.
Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com.