Info for Voters

League of Women Voters^®
of the Charleston Area

Charleston Area Election Information, SC Voter Registration information, Charleston candidate forums, and more ...

Voter Registration

Note: New Photo ID Requirements Blocked by DOJ, Rules for Voting Do Not Change
From SCVotes.org: The U.S. Department of Justice blocked implementation of a new law that would have required South Carolina voters to present a photo ID in order to vote. Identification requirements for voting will not change at this time.
Current law requires voters to present one of three items to vote at the polling place:
S.C. Driver's License
S.C. Identification Card issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles
S.C. Voter Registration Card

South Carolina is covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Therefore, any change to election law must be approved (or "precleared") by the U.S. Department of Justice before it can be implemented or enforced.

Not sure if you're registered to vote? Check your voter registration information or update your voter registration.

Register to Vote

Register in person at your county board of voter registration,
OR, Download a form, complete it, and mail or fax it to your county board of voter registration,
OR, Download a form, complete it, scan it, and email it as a file attachment to your county voter registration office.

Deadline for voter registration for the General Election is October 8. Citizens must be registered 30 days in advance of elections.
After November 8, 2011, any citizen who will be eighteen years of age on or before November 6, 2012 can register and vote in the primary elections held before, including the first-in-the-South presidential primary elections.
Would you like to help register new voters? Hold your own voter registration drive using our Vote 2011 registration toolkit!
Frequently asked questions about voter registration.

2012 Elections

2012 Election Dates
Republican Presidential Primary:
January 21, 2012

First in the South Presidential Primary: 2012
Don't forget to vote on Saturday, January 21, for the Republican Presidential Primary.
The following candidates will appear on the ballot in SC's Republican Presidential Primary: (While some candidates may have suspended their campaigns or stated they have withdrawn, none of the nine certified candidates have officially withdrawn from the Presidential Primary. Even if a candidate were to officially withdraw at this late date, the candidate's name would still appear on the ballot.)
Michele Bachmann - has suspended campaign/withdrawn from the race
Herman Cain - has suspended campaign/withdrawn from the race
Newt Gingrich
Jon Huntsman - has suspended campaign/withdrawn from the race
Gary Johnson
Ron Paul
Rick Perry - has suspended campaign/withdrawn from the race
Mitt Romney
Rick Santorum

State Primaries
June 12, 2012

State Primary Runoffs
June 26, 2012

General Election
November 6, 2012
Full Election Calendar - Includes filing dates and absentee voting dates

County Election Schedules / Contacts

Berkeley County Board of Elections and Voter Registration / View Berkeley County's 2012 Election Schedule
Charleston County Board of Elections and Voter Registration / View Charleston County's 2012 Election Schedule
Dorchester County Board of Elections and Registration / View Dorchester County's 2012 Election Schedule

Candidate Forums

Having a hard time choosing the candidate who will best represent you? See our advice on How to Judge a Candidate.
Our candidate forums are always non-partisan. We sponsored numerous forums for local candidates in the 2011 elections. Please stay tuned for information on candidate debates for the 2012 elections.
To maintain the integrity of our candidate forums, we adhere to a strict candidate forum policy.

Comments, suggestions, questions? Contact our webmaster. Last revised: January 20, 2012 17:51 PST.