Plan to vote absentee in SC? Here’s how to make sure your ballot gets counted
UPDATED: The U.S. Supreme Court says absentee ballots submitted by mail in South Carolina must have a witness signature. This story has been updated to reflect that decision.
Far more South Carolinians are projected to cast absentee ballots in November’s general election than ever before, as the state’s COVID-19 outbreak puts health and safety atop voters’ minds.
Already, S.C. voters have requested more mail-in absentee ballots than the state mailed out four years ago. And that number is expected to balloon after Gov. Henry McMaster this month signed a bill to expand absentee voting due to COVID-19.
The changes also shift some of the state’s deadlines for requesting absentee ballots earlier and when counties can open ballots.
State election officials are urging South Carolinians eligible and planning to vote absentee to immediately request an application and, when they get their ballot to move fast to ensure their ballot gets counted.
The U.S. Postal Service also is trying to send the same message to voters, sending mailers out that recommend requesting an absentee ballot at least 15 days ahead of Election Day and mailing it back at least a week before.
County election officials will be allowed to open the outer envelope of the absentee ballot at 7 a.m. Sunday, two days before Election Day, and start counting absentee ballots at 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Four years ago, nearly 504,000 absentee ballots were returned to the state but almost 3,000 absentee ballots were not counted, mostly because a witness did not sign the absentee ballot or because the ballot was not returned on time.
In the June primaries, nearly 1,900 absentee ballots were not counted, mostly because they were not sent back on time. (The witness requirement was a nonissue in June because a federal judge waived the legal requirement for the witness signature on mail-in ballots.)
However, the Supreme Court ruled this week that S.C. voters must get a witness signature for an absentee ballot.
This November, the number of uncounted ballots could rise dramatically as election officials deal with a surge of absentee ballots by mail as voters attempt to avoid long lines which carry the threat of exposure to COVID-19 and as lawmakers near a final vote to expand absentee voting to all registered voters.
Plan to vote absentee in November? The State lays out how to do it.
How to vote absentee
First, check here to ensure you’re registered to vote or to update your registration.
Voters must be registered to vote by this Sunday if they want to cast a ballot in the Nov. 3 general election.
Registering online, or by email or fax? Then your registration must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday. By mail? Forms must be postmarked by Monday, and in-person registration must by done by 5 p.m. on Friday unless your county holds weekend hours.
Who can vote absentee?
All registered South Carolinians after the governor signed legislation this month to expand absentee voting.
The state’s deadline to apply for an absentee by mail ballot is Oct. 24 and by 5 p.m. on Oct. 30 if submitted in person.
For voters who want to submit absentee ballot applications and completed ballots in person:
▪ Visit your county’s voter registration office between Oct. 5 and Nov. 2.
▪ Fill out an application.
▪ Cast your ballot.
For voters who choose to return absentee ballot requests and completed ballots by mail:
▪ Print the application out online or call or email your county’s voter registration and elections office and have an application mailed.
▪ Fill out, sign and return the absentee ballot application to your county’s election office by email, mail, fax or in person.
▪ Receive the ballot in the mail.
▪ Vote and return the absentee ballot to your local elections office or by mail or in person. Despite the legal tangle — when a federal judge nixed the witness signature requirement and then the Court of Appeals tossed that action — the State Election Commission is urging South Carolina voters to get a witness to sign their ballots anyway.
The deadline to return absentee ballots by mail is on Nov. 3.
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Plan to vote absentee in SC? Here’s how to make sure your ballot gets counted."
