COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD)- The 2024 race for the White House is coming down to its final months, with early voting in South Carolina set to begin in less than 50 days.
Tuesday was the deadline for political parties to submit certified candidates’ names to the State Election Commission to be printed on the ballot.
The finalized ballot will include seven candidates for president, according to officials:
- Constitution Party – Randall A. Terry
- Workers’ Party – Claudia De La Cruz
- Democratic Party – Kamala D. Harris
- Libertarian Party – Chase Oliver
- Green Party – Jill Stein
- Republican Party – Donald J. Trump
- United Citizens Party – Cornel West
An eighth candidate — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — was initially nominated by the South Carolina Alliance Party in May. However, party leaders withdrew him from the ballot after he suspended his presidential campaign last month and joined forces with former President Trump.
With the first ballots going out to military and overseas voters in less than three weeks, time is running out for South Carolinians to register to vote.
Here’s what voters need to know to prepare:
Who is eligible to vote?
An individual must meet the following qualifications in order to vote in South Carolina:
- U.S. citizen
- At least 18 years old
- A resident of South Carolina, the county, and precinct in which you are registering
- Not deemed mentally incompetent by the court or currently incarcerated
Teenagers who turn 18 on or before the general election (Nov. 5, 2024) can register to vote.
How to register to vote in South Carolina
There are 3 ways to register to vote in South Carolina:
If you moved to a different county since the most recent election, you must re-register to vote in the new county. If you have moved to a new location within the same county, you can update your address using this form on scvotes.gov.
When is the voter registration deadline?
State law requires an individual to register to vote at least 30 days prior to the election.
Here are the deadlines for registration:
- In-person: Oct. 4
- Online or by fax or email: Oct. 6
- By mail: Oct. 7 (must be postmarked by this date)
You can check your voter registration status at scvotes.gov.
When is early voting?
Governor Henry McMaster signed a bill into law in May 2022 that replaces in-person absentee voting with an early in-person voting period for the two weeks leading up to election days.
Any voter can visit an early-voting polling location in their county between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. and vote the same way they would on Election Day. Counties are required to have at least one polling place open during the early voting period.
Early voting for the 2024 general election will start on Monday, Oct. 21, and end on Saturday, Nov. 2.
How can I request an absentee ballot?
Eligible voters can request an absentee ballot from their county election office starting Jan. 1 of the election year.
The deadline to return your application is 5:00 p.m. on the 11th day prior to the election, which falls on Oct. 25 for the 2024 election.
All absentee ballots must be returned by 7 p.m. on Election Day.
You can find more information on eligibility requirements and how to return your absentee ballot here .
Can I get a sample ballot?
Who will be the next president is not the only choice facing South Carolina voters this November.
All seven of South Carolina’s members in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for election this year as are all 170 members of the state legislature.
A slew of county-wide races are also on the ballot, including sheriffs, solicitors, probate judges, coroners, and other local-level offices.
Voters can also check who is on the ballot where they live by obtaining a sample ballot from the South Carolina Election Commission.
As Election Day nears, you can count on News 2 as your Local Election Headquarters to keep you up-to-date on the latest from the campaign trail.
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