Press Release

First election in South Carolina to take place with early voting.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (July 22, 2022) – The June Primaries and Runoffs gave South Carolinians the opportunity to vote early for the first time in history. More than 125,000 South Carolinians cast their ballots during the early voting periods prior to the Primaries and Runoffs. Early voters made up 16% of the nearly 800,000 ballots cast.

The General Assembly and Governor enacted legislation on May 13 establishing early voting and making voting more accessible and secure.

New Process Successful as Over One Hundred Thousand Voted Early

COLUMBIA, SC (June 13, 2022) – At the close of the early voting period on Friday, June 10, 2022, 100,450 South Carolinians had voted early in the June Primaries. Last month, Governor McMaster signed legislation establishing early voting in South Carolina, which allowed all voters to vote in the June Primaries as early as May 31.

“Governor McMaster and the General Assembly created a more convenient, easier and secure way for voters to cast their vote,” said Howard Knapp, Executive Director of the South Carolina Election Commission. “We are appreciative to our state leadership, the voters and to our local election offices who were able to establish early voting centers on a quick turnaround.”

COLUMBIA, SC (June 10, 2022) – With the early voting period ending today, the S.C. Election Commission wants to share important reminders about voting on Election Day. 

Through Thursday, June 9, nearly 80,000 South Carolinians had voted early in the June Primaries since the early voting period opened on Tuesday, May 31.  Nearly 16,000 voted on June 9, which was the busiest day of the period so far.  

Complete statistics, including Friday’s numbers, will be available at scVOTES.gov on Monday.

Voting on Tuesday, June 14:

COLUMBIA, SC (May 18, 2022) – On May 13, 2022, Governor McMaster signed into law legislation passed by the General Assembly that establishes early voting and makes significant changes to the absentee voting process.  The State Election Commission wants voters to be aware of how these changes affect absentee voting in the June Primaries.

The following is a list of some of the more significant changes to the process.  For complete details and to see the new absentee process step-by-step, visit the Absentee Voting page at scVOTES.gov.

COLUMBIA, SC (May 13, 2022) – Governor McMaster today signed into law legislation passed by the General Assembly that establishes early voting in South Carolina.

To help prepare for the upcoming June 14 Primaries, the State Election Commission wants voters to know all their options to vote:

Polling Place on Election Day

COLUMBIA, S.C. (May 11, 2022) – To help ensure voters are prepared for the 2022 Statewide Primaries on June 14, the State Election Commission wants to remind everyone of the fast-approaching voter registration deadlines and urge those already registered to update their information.  With only a few days left before the deadline, now is the time to make sure you are registered to vote. 

DON’T WAIT! REGISTERING TO VOTE HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (March 15, 2022) – The South Carolina State Election Commission (SEC) today released a comprehensive booklet that outlines every step taken to ensure secure, accurate and accessible elections. This resource is the first of its kind to be created to help both decision makers and the general public better understand how the state’s election system works.

“We’re excited to launch this new public guide to the laws and procedures that govern our elections,” said SEC Executive Director, Howard Knapp. “Voters deserve to know how our elections work , how they are kept secure, and why they should trust the integrity of election results.”

The booklet covers a variety of topics including cybersecurity, voter registration list maintenance, voting system security, voter verification, poll manager responsibilities, absentee voting, ballot reconciliation, election audits and election crimes.  The SEC plans to update the document as election laws and SEC policies and procedures evolve so that it remains a current resource into the future.

COLUMBIA, SC (March 9, 2022) – The 2022 partisan candidate filing period opens noon, March 16 and closes noon, March 30.  All partisan candidates seeking office in the 2022 General Election must file during this period. 

Candidate Tracking System: See who filed in real time, view documents, download data.

Locations:

• Federal, statewide, and multi-county offices - State Election Commission (SEC).
• State House of Representatives - SEC or County Board in County of Residence.
• Various County-Level Offices - County Board.

Hours: Regular business hours during the filing period.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (January 28, 2022) – The S.C. State Election Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to name Howard M. Knapp as Executive Director of the agency.  The selection of Knapp ends a three-month appointment process that began in October 2021.  The Executive Director serves as the state’s chief election official and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency.

Prior to becoming Executive Director, Knapp served as the Interim Executive Director and Director of Voter Services. In his role as Director of Voter Services, Knapp was responsible for information technology, cyber security, support of the statewide voting system, the agency’s Area Representatives, and the agency’s election audit initiatives and processes.

May 24, 2022 – Greenville County

Special Election Results

Primary Results

Important Dates & Deadlines

Filing Opens:  Noon, Friday, January 21

Filing Closes:  Noon, Saturday, January 29

Find candidate names and information

February 20 - Voter Registration Deadline for Primary (mail-in voter registration forms will be accepted if postmarked by Tuesday, February 22)

March 22 - Primary (if necessary)

April 5 - Primary Runoff (if necessary)

April 24 - Voter Registration Deadline for Special Election (mail-in voter registration forms will be accepted if postmarked by Monday, April 25)

May 24 - Special Election

Candidate Filing Information