Want to vote early in the SC primary? Here’s when, where & how to do it in Beaufort County

Beaufort County election primaries are just weeks away. And you can vote early.

Early voting begins May 26 for June 9’s primary. Early voting came to South Carolina in 2022, so it’s fairly new.

If you haven’t voted early before, you’ll find it familiar and simple. Here’s what you need to know about early voting:

How to vote early

Early voting works just like absentee voting, except you don’t need a reason to vote early. You can do it between May 26 and June 5 at these locations:

• Main Voter Registration Office in Beaufort at 15 John Galt Road, Beaufort
• Bluffton Branch Library at 120 Palmetto Way, Bluffton
• USCB -- Hilton Head Campus, Room 115, at 1 Sand Shark Dr, Hilton Head Island
• St. Helena Branch Library at 6355 Jonathan Francis Senior Road, St. Helena Island

The process is the same as on election day. All you need is your photo ID. The four locations will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Who’s on the ballot in Beaufort County?

There are multiple primary candidates for Beaufort County:

Beaufort County Council District 4:

• Michael JD Andersen (R)
• Thomas A. Grygowski (R)

Beaufort County Council District 5:

• Joshua Hower (R)
• Joe Maiorano (R)
• Mary Jeans Otto (R)

Beaufort County Council District 8:

• Bill Beltz (D)
• Trey Judy (D)
• Paula Brown (R)
• Kraig Gordon (R)

Beaufort County Council District 9:

• Beth Gillespie (R)
• Mark Lawson (R)

Beaufort County Council District 11:

• Elizabeth Galloway (R)
• Tommy Reitz (R)

Beaufort County Sheriff:

• Doug Seifert (R)
• Jojo Woodward (R)

Primaries aren’t the final election. Your vote helps determine which candidates run for election on Nov. 3. South Carolina’s primaries are open to all voters, so you can choose one party and vote for your preferred candidate.

In cases where there are only two primary candidates, the winner will head into the election uncontested. That means the primary winner will be the election winner.

Early voting for the Nov. 3 statewide and midterm elections begins Oct. 19 and ends Oct. 31. It will have the same process, locations and times.

Check Beaufort County’s Early Voting Information website for more details.