Living Here | Voting information for the Carolinas
Voting in North Carolina
WHERE TO REGISTER
If you meet the registration qualifications, voter registration forms must be completed and returned to your county board of elections no more than 25 days before the day of the election. Forms must be received or postmarked by the deadline. Applicants will be notified by the county board of elections of their precinct and polling place assignments.
In North Carolina, you may register and vote during the One Stop Absentee Voting period, which begins on the third Thursday prior to the election and runs through the last Saturday before the election. Go to http://www.sboe.state.nc.us for details.
Forms are available at town halls, libraries, high schools and state agencies, including the Department of Social Services, Department of Motor Vehicles and Employee Security Commission.
VOTER REGISTRATION
To vote in North Carolina you must:
If you have previously convicted of a felony, you must have completed all parts of your sentence including probation and parole. Then your citizenship rights are restored and you may register.
Voting in South Carolina
For information, visit the S.C. Election Commission’s voter guide website at www.scvotes.org.
To vote in South Carolina, you must be registered. You will be asked to show one of the following IDs at your polling place to vote on Election Day:
All polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. Anyone in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
ABSENTEE VOTING
To vote absentee, you must be a registered voter and meet one of the following criteria:
You may vote absentee in person at your county voter registration office until 5 p.m. the day before Election Day. All mail-in absentee ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted.
IF YOU MOVE
If you have a S.C. Driver’s License or DMV ID card, you can update your address using the online voter registration application. If you haven’t updated your DMV address, you must do that first.
If your voter registration information has changed (name, address, etc.), and you still live within the same county, you may update your voter registration information. If you have moved to a different county, you will need to re-register in your new county.
VOTING SYSTEMS
All 46 S.C. counties use direct recording electronic voting machines, on which the voter makes selections by pressing buttons beside a party, candidate or issue displayed on the direct recording electronic voting machine. After all selections have been made, the voter presses a button to cast the ballot.
All 46 S.C. counties use optical scan ballots for all mail-out absentee ballots. The voter shades in a block beside the name of the party, candidate or issue using a marking pen or pencil.
c/o Voter Registration Office, 1515 Fourth Ave., Conway, SC 29526
Phone | 843-915-5440
Fax | 843-915-6440
Director | Sandy Martin
303 Hazard St., Georgetown, SC 29440
Phone | 843-545-3339
Fax | 843-545-3342
Director | Donna Mahn
This story was originally published September 26, 2014 at 9:30 AM with the headline "Living Here | Voting information for the Carolinas."