Early voting in South Carolina has seen a huge surge this year, with many voters getting a head start ahead of the traditional election day on November 5, 2024.
From October 21 to November 2, about 1.47 million South Carolinians participated in early voting, according to the South Carolina Election Commission. This number represents around 43% of the state’s 3.42 million registered voters and is a significant increase from the 58.1% of total votes cast in the 2020 election.
To put it simply, over four out of ten registered voters in South Carolina have already voted, and nearly six out of ten votes from the previous presidential election are already counted.
In addition, approximately 100,000 absentee ballots have also been returned, bringing the total of early votes to over 1.5 million.
Howie Knapp, the executive director of the election agency, expressed excitement over this record turnout. “If you haven’t cast your ballot yet, get to the polls tomorrow and exercise your right to vote,” he encouraged.
Looking at the data more closely, Charleston County, which is a longtime Democratic area, saw 49.9% of its voters vote early. Meanwhile, Greenville County, known as a Republican stronghold, had a 40.8% early voting rate. Richland County, which has a large Black population, saw 41.8% participate early, and Horry County, a strong base for former President Donald Trump, recorded 44%.
On the national level, as of Monday morning, November 4, around 78.1 million Americans had voted early. Among those, 39.3 million were from states that track voter registration by party. Of those affiliated with parties, 37.9% identified as Democrats, 36% as Republicans, and 26.1% as independents.
Polling places in South Carolina will open at 7:00 a.m. EST on Election Day and will close at 7:00 p.m. EST. Anyone in line at closing time will still be able to vote. Voters will need to present a photo ID when checking in.
For those who requested absentee ballots, these must be returned by 7:00 p.m. EST on Election Day. Officials remind voters to return absentee ballots in person if possible to ensure they are received on time, and photo identification is also required when returning these ballots.
Stay tuned for updates on election results both statewide and nationally.
