COLUMBIA, S.C. — It’s Election Day across South Carolina, as voters in the Palmetto State cast ballots for the U.S. Presidential race, a U.S. Senate seat, and dozens of other federal, state, and local contests.
Polls will be open until 7 p.m. People who are still in line to vote when polls close, however, will still be allowed to vote.
Below we answer some of your top questions, including how to find your polling precinct and what are the key races on the ballot.
Where can I find South Carolina Election Results?
WLTX will have election results starting at 7 p.m. when polls closed. You’ll want to bookmark this address: /elections and download the WLTX app if you haven’t already for the latest alerts.
Problems at the Polls?
We know there may be some problems that you encounter at your precinct, and we’re on your side in trying to get them resolved. We want you to report them to us by sending us a text message at 803.776.9508 to let us know what you’re seeing.
Here’s a bit of the what you need to know if you’re headed to the polls.
Check Your Polling Precinct
South Carolina Election officials stress this is the single most important thing you need to do before you leave your home. Some precincts could have changed since you last voted. While many people will be voting in their familiar place, that’s not true for everyone, and changes could have been made to your precinct as recently as Monday.
Check my voter registration - - Double-check you polling location on November 3 before you head out that day at SCVotes.gov and click 'find my polling place.' That has up-to-the minute information. https://info.scvotes.sc.gov/eng/voterinquiry/VoterInformationRequest.aspx?PageMode=VoterInfo
Get my sample ballot - You can get a sample ballot to show you which candidates you’ll be able to select from when you go in to vote. You can find this on the SC Votes Check My Ballot page.
What information do I need to bring to the polls?
People need to bring one (1) of the following forms of photo ID:
- SC Driver's License
- SCDMV ID Card
- SC Voter Registration Card with photo
- Federal Military ID
- United States Passport
If you don't have any of these forms of identification, you may vote with what's known as a provisional ballot. Bring your non‐photo voter registration card with you to the polling place. You may vote a provisional ballot after signing an affidavit stating you have a reasonable impediment to obtaining a photo ID.
What about absentee voting or returning my ballot?
Absentee-in-person voting ended on Monday, so you can’t vote that way at the county election office or any other satellite office. If you have a paper absentee ballot, you can return it to your county election office by 7 p.m.
What are the key races on the ballot?
US President – You’re no doubt aware of the main race between incumbent Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden. Three other candidates are also on the ballot: Jo Jorgensen of the Libertarian Party, Roque De La Fuente of the Alliance Party, and Howie Hawkins of the Green Party.
US Senate – Republican incumbent Sen. Lindsey Graham is facing a challenge from Democrat Jaime Harrison for a six-year long term in office. A third name is on the ballot—Bill Bledsoe of the Constitution Party—but he withdrew and endorsed Graham. However, his withdrawal was too late to be removed from ballots, so his name still appears.
US House – All 7 US House races are up this year. Two of the most closely watched will be the US House 2 race between incumbent GOP Rep. Joe Wilson and Democrat Adair Boroughs, and the US House 1 races between incumbent Democrat Joe Cunningham and Republican Nancy Mace.
SC Legislature – Several South Carolina House and Senate seats in the Midlands, including the hotly contested House race between incumbent Republican Kirkman Finlay and Democrat Rhodes Bailey.
Quick Explainer: How the votes will be counted
You obviously know this was an usual year with COVID-19, and that led to record absentee voting, both in person and by mail. County election offices began were allowed to start counting the absentee by mail paper ballots at 7 a.m. today. The absentee in-person votes are all stored on flash drives which can be read by the county's tabulation computers within minutes.
While you’ve likely read about potential long delays, South Carolina Election Commission's Chris Whitmire told News19 he believes almost all the vote will be counted by the end of the night. He said it’s possible there may be some absentee ballots that would need to be counted Wednesday morning, but that would be completed quickly if that's necessary at all.
Stay Connected
We will have complete coverage on campaign night, including the most up-to-date South Carolina election results, either on-air on News19, on our website, WLTX.com, and the WLTX News19 app. (Don't have the app? Download it here!)