Election week 2024 begins in the Hilton Head area. Here’s what to know all in one place
Here is the one place to go to get a roundup of all the details you need to know for voting on election day in Beaufort County. More information will be added as it comes in
Where to get a sample ballot and what to bring with you on election day?
Polling places are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m Tuesday. Anyone in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
If you’d like to see the ballot you’ll use to vote on Election Day, the South Carolina Elections Commission has you covered.
In fact, the agency recommends you get a sample and prepare to vote. Education means less time in the voting booth.
You can check a sample ballot at your MyscVOTES.
It’s as simple as entering your name, date of birth and last four digits of your social security card. Oh, and clicking the box to ensure you’re not a robot.
You may also reach out to your County Voter Registration Office for help with a sample ballot scvotes.gov/contact/county-voter-registration-election-offices.
The Elections Commission also recommends making sure you have a photo ID (SC Driver’s License, SC DMV ID Card, SC Voter Registration Card with Photo, Federal Military ID, or US Passport).
You can get a photo ID at DMV or your county election office and if you can’t do that the commission says, ”You may vote a provisional ballot after signing an affidavit stating you have a reasonable impediment to obtaining a Photo ID.”
Reporter Lyn Riddle, Final published Nov. 1 at 10a.m.
Nearly 60,000 Beaufort County Voters took advantage of the new early voting process
Early voting is occurring at a record-setting pace across the county for late October and early November thanks to a new way the Board of Voter Registration and Elections is offering ballots that’s been a big hit with residents.
Early voting is offered over a two-week “no excuse” period — as opposed to voting on just the traditional election day. The process differs from the absentee voting. That process allows residents to receive a ballot in the days preceding the election, but they must provide acceptable excuses such as an illness or age.
The pace of “no excuse” early voting has Marie Smalls, who heads the Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, excited about this year’s voter turnout.
As of 1 p.m. Friday, 56,855 people, or 40% of the county’s 141,221 registered voters, had voted already in the election, Smalls said, which is the highest percentage of early voting in the county since at least 2008.
“We have record number turnout,” Smalls told the Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet. “That’s a change from what happened before in the other previous elections.”
Early voting was introduced in the mid-term election in 2022 and accounted for 20% of the turnout, according to the county. But this election is the first time early voting is being tested on a large scale during a presidential election — and a nail-biter to boot with Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump virtually tied in national polls in the dwindling days of the campaign. A bevy of federal, state and local races and a $950 million transportation referendum are ramping up interest as well.
While early voting is just two-years old, Smalls says the presidential race of 2020 provides somewhat of a comparison to this year’s early voting pace. In 2020, in-person absentee voting was higher than usual because restrictions on who could vote absentee were dropped due to the coronavirus pandemic. That year, in person absentee voting was 33,591 compared to the 56,855 people who had early voted as of 1 p.m. Friday.
- Reporter Karl Pucket, Posted Friday, Nov. 1: 1p.m.
Resist the urge to take a photo of your ballot - it could get expensive
If you’re tempted to take a photo of your ballot in a voting booth in South Carolina, don’t. It’s illegal and could land you in jail, according to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
SLED is cautioning voters against taking a “ballot selfie,” or a photo of their ballot, as doing so is against the law in South Carolina, punishable by a fine or up to a year in jail, according to a news release.
Under South Carolina law, voters are prohibited from taking photos of their ballot and sharing that photo or allowing their ballot to be seen in any way, the release said.
“South Carolina voters are not allowed to use a camera inside the voting booth,” the release said.
- Reporter Javon L. Harris, Posted Friday Nov.1 at noon
Candidate and issue Q&A’s
Herbkersman faces Owens in District 118 election: Experience vs. change on key local issues
Newton and Creech face off in South Carolina’s District 120 election.
Ward 3 Hilton Head candidates stand on opposite sides of penny sales tax
Hilton Head council races at a glance
Q&A: Here’s how Beaufort mayoral candidates would address growth and Waterfront Park
Four candidates fighting for two jobs on the Beaufort City Council. Here’s where they stand
Michael Rivers and Shelley Gay Yuhas are running in House District 121
Editorial Board’s endorsement of South Carolina races
This opinion piece contains all 30 of the races the editorial board researched and wrote
This story was originally published November 4, 2024 at 11:00 AM.