South Carolina opened early voting Monday, October 19, giving registered voters through October 31 to cast ballots in person before the November 3 general election. The Election Commission says voters may use any early-voting center in their own county, rather than being limited to their assigned Election Day precinct.
The centers are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, during the two-week period. They will be closed Sunday, October 25. The commission’s 2026 guidance confirms those hours and directs voters to the statewide list of county locations. That county boundary matters: the early-voting option is not permission to vote at a center elsewhere in South Carolina.
Early voting does not require an excuse or an application. The League of Women Voters Education Fund’s VOTE411 guide distinguishes that walk-in process from absentee voting by mail, which requires an application and a qualifying reason. For voters deciding how to participate, the two routes therefore have different paperwork and deadlines.
For in-person voting, the commission lists five categories of acceptable, current photo identification: a South Carolina driver’s license; a qualifying state DMV identification card; a South Carolina voter-registration card with a photo; federal military identification; or a U.S. passport. Its ID guidance includes standard and REAL ID state licenses and cards, and passport cards as well as passport books. Registered voters without photo identification can obtain a free photo voter-registration card from their county elections office.
Lacking photo identification does not automatically end a voter’s opportunity to cast a ballot. Under the commission’s impediment procedure, a voter with a reasonable obstacle to obtaining an ID may bring a current, non-photo registration card, sign an affidavit and vote provisionally. The ballot counts unless the county board finds the voter’s identity or stated impediment false. Forgetting an existing ID is different: that provisional ballot requires presenting acceptable photo identification to the county office before certification. VOTE411 independently describes both procedures.
Mail absentee voting remains available to eligible voters, including those age 65 or older and people with physical disabilities, under the commission’s absentee rules. Its election-specific absentee guide sets the application receipt deadline at 5 p.m. Friday, October 23. Completed ballots must be received by the county elections office by 7 p.m. November 3; mailing a ballot that day is not enough. Voters must sign the oath, and a witness age 18 or older must sign the return envelope. The same guide recommends mailing ballots at least a week before Election Day and says voters can track their ballot online or contact their county office.
For those waiting until Election Day, the commission’s voter guide lists polling hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. November 3 at the voter’s assigned polling place. Before traveling, voters can use the commission’s preparation page to reach registration, polling-place and sample-ballot information, and check the early-voting location list if choosing that option.
