South Carolinians can now head to the polls to vote early in the state's primary election.
The start of early voting comes as state senators continue to debate congressional redistricting.
Polls will be open for early voting from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays until Friday, June 5. Eligible voters must present a photo ID to vote.
Each of South Carolina's 46 counties has at least one early voting location available. The state does not require people to align with a political party when registering to vote, so people will select what political party's primary to participate in at early polling locations.
Voters will help narrow down the options for offices like governor, attorney general and U.S House of Representatives. Although potential redistricting has dominated debate in the Legislature's special session Gov. Henry McMaster called May 14, voters on Tuesday will still choose among U.S. House candidates based on current filings and congressional lines.
The new proposed congressional map and related bill is projected to give Republicans control of South Carolina's only congressional seat held by a Democrat. U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn in March announced his intent to run for reelection in the district as presently drawn.
Should the bill make its way through the Senate as currently constructed, the state's primary election would be impacted. For the most part, the election would continue on the same timeline, but the races for U.S. House would see major changes.
Primaries in the race to represent the new congressional districts would be moved to Aug. 18, and candidates would need to file for election between June 1 and June 5. Early voters would need to attend the rescheduled primary to vote again in the congressional races impacted. And debate is not guaranteed to finish Tuesday.
State Election Commission Director Conway Belangia said last Wednesday that a second set of primaries would cost about $5 million to $6 million.
Early voting is not the only way for people to cast a ballot prior to the June 9 primary election. Certain South Carolinians — like those with a physical disability or members of the armed forces — can participate in absentee voting. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is 5 p.m. Friday, May 29. The ballot must be returned by mail or personal delivery no later than 7 p.m. June 9.
More than 13,000 absentee ballots have been mailed out, according to figures cited in the Senate Saturday. Of ballots sent, voters have returned more than 4,000.
