By Abraham Kenmore
COLUMBIA — South Carolinians who aren’t registered voters yet but want to cast a ballot in the Democrat or Republican presidential primary in February still have time to sign up. But the windows are shrinking.
The State Election Commission on Wednesday, Dec. 20 released a list of dates for anyone looking to vote in the primaries.
People don’t register by party in South Carolina. Every registered voter can vote in either primary. They just can’t vote in both. And the deadlines to register are different for each.
Would-be voters have two weeks to register for Democrats’ first-in-the-nation primary — at least, the first recognized by the national party after New Hampshire set its own calendar. Voters must be registered by Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2024 to choose Feb. 3 between President Joe Biden and two extreme long-shot candidates: U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota and self-help author Marianne Williamson.
The deadline to register for the Feb. 24 Republican primary is Jan. 25, 2024.
While ballots in the Democratic primary are already set, who will appear on the crowded Republican ballot won’t be set until Jan. 2. No new candidates can join the race in either primary.
Early voting for the Democrats’ contest will be Jan. 22 to Feb. 2, excluding Sunday, Jan. 28.
For the Republicans, it’s Feb. 12 through Feb. 22, excluding Sunday, Feb. 18 and Presidents’ Day, Feb. 19.
The hours for both early voting periods are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Voters who are already registered but have moved recently need to update their registration or register in their new county.
South Carolina has more than 3.2 million registered voters, but how many will actually turn out is a different matter.
In Democrats’ 2020 contest, about 16% of South Carolina registered voters turned out in the primary that catapulted Biden’s race for president. There was no Republican presidential primary that year. Turnout in 2016, the last time both major parties had competitive primaries in the state, was 37.8% combined.
To register to vote with a driver’s license, you can go online at scvotes.gov. South Carolinians can also download an application and return it by mail, fax or email. Another option is to register in person at your county voter registration office. Voters can also visit scvotes.gov to find an early voting location, election day polling place or to apply for an absentee ballot.
Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the SC Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues.
