Who’s on your ballot and what do they stand for? Find out in Island Packet voter guide
Beaufort and Jasper county residents head to the polls this fall to vote in an array of races, from U.S. president to town council.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette have put together a voter guide with information our readers can use to help make those important decisions in the voting booth. Find our voter guide at islandpacket.com/voter-guide.
We sent questionnaires to statewide and local candidates in key races and published the candidates’ responses as they were sent to us.
Anyone who lives in Beaufort or Jasper County can enter their address in the voter guide to see a ballot and information about many of the candidates. Subscribers can read the answers candidates submitted on our questionnaire.
Along with the presidential race, several congressional and legislative seats are being decided. U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham and U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham both face challengers to keep their jobs. Closer to home, voters will be deciding who represents them in the Statehouse and on Beaufort and Jasper county school boards.
Key dates
Election Day is Nov. 3. Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Register to vote in person by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2; via email by 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4; or by mail with a postmark of no later than Monday, Oct. 5. Call (843) 255-6900 or email Vote.Beaufort@Elections.SC.Gov questions.
Voting absentee in Beaufort County
South Carolina does not offer early voting, but Gov. Henry McMaster signed a bill on Sept. 16 giving all voters in the state the option of absentee voting because of COVID-19.
To vote absentee, a resident may visit a county voter registration office in person or apply for an absentee ballot via the mail.
In Beaufort County, voter registration offices are located at 15 John Galt Road in Beaufort, 61B Ulmer Road in Bluffton and 539 William Hilton Parkway on Hilton Head. These offices will be open for in-person absentee voting between Oct. 5 and Nov. 2.
Voters also can download and print out an application to vote absentee, or they can call or email a voter registration office to request one be mailed to them. Contact Beaufort County Board of Voter Registration & Elections, 15 John Galt Road, Beaufort, SC 29901-1228 or call (843) 255-6900 or email absentee@beaufortcountysc.gov.
The South Carolina Election Commission recommends you return your application at least two weeks before the election. Ballots must be received by the county voter registration office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
Voter ID
To cast a ballot in person in South Carolina, a voter must show one of the following forms of voter ID:
- South Carolina Driver’s License
- South Carolina Voter ID Card with Photo
- ID Issued by the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles, Transportation, Highway Safety, etc.
- US Passport
- Military ID
Clarification: A federal judge on Sept. 18 issued an injunction doing away with the need for witness signatures on absentee ballots because of the coronavirus. On Oct. 5, the Supreme Court reinstated this requirement. Read more about this issue here.
This story was originally published October 1, 2020 at 4:30 AM.
