Columbia, SC (WLTX) - South Carolina primaries will take place June 12, where voters will select their candidates for the November general election.
Among the key races will be for South Carolina governor, where four Republicans and three Democrats are vying for their party nominations.
We're On Your Side answering some of the frequently asked questions you may have when you head to the polls, including why you'll be asked questions when you enter the ballot box. (Keep reading, we'll get to that.)
How long will the polls be open?
Polls will be open statewide from 7 a..m to 7 p.m. Anyone who is standing in line before the polls closed will be allowed to vote, even past 7 p.m.
Can I vote in whichever primary I want?
You can. South Carolina law doesn't require you to be registered with a party to vote in a primary. However, once you make the decision to vote in either party's primary, you must go into the booth and only vote for the candidates for that party. You can't switch back and forth between the Democratic and Republican ballots while in the booth.
One more thing: if you vote for in the primary, you have to stick with the party you chose that if there is a runoff election. So if you vote on a Republican ticket on June 12, you'll only be allowed to vote in the Republican runoff two weeks later. Same goes with the Democrats.
What information do I need to bring to the polls?
People need to bring one (1) of the following forms of photo ID:
- SC Driver's License
- SCDMV ID Card
- SC Voter Registration Card with photo
- Federal Military ID
- United States Passport
If you don't have any of these forms of identification, you may vote with what's known as a provisional ballot. However, if you do that, you must then go back to your county election office and show your photo ID before the vote is certified, which usually happens the Thursday or Friday after the election.
You also have to sign an affidavit saying there was a reasonable impediment to getting a photo ID. To see a list of those reasons, click here:
I forgot where to vote/not sure where to vote/want to know who I can vote for
Luckily, if one or all of those questions apply to you, there are resources that are available for you now. Click on the highlighted links for more.
Check My Voter Registration - This will let you know what precinct you should be voting at, and what U.S. House, county council, city council, and other local races you're allowed to vote in. It'll ask you your county, your name, and your date of birth, and then hit submit to finish the process.
Get My Sample Ballot - You'll know exactly what races you'll see when you walk into the booth, so you can go ahead and make your choice now to reduce your time in the booth.
Find My Polling Place - You can even get directions using the link tool
Can I vote absentee?
Absentee voting is over. At this point, you must show up in person at your precinct.
What are the key races on the ballot?
That's subjective, but of course, the ones that will likely draw the most attention are for the Republican and Democratic nominations for governor. Five Republicans are running for governor on the GOP side (including incumbent Henry McMaster), while three are running for the Democrats.
If you want to know much more about the governor, News19 conducted extended one-on-one interviews with the men and women on the ballot here:
Other statewide races include a Republican primary for attorney general and secretary of state.
There are also US House primaries, SC House of Representative contests, and many local races of interest. But that can vary by county. A full list of races will be tracking is at the end of this article.
What, what are these questions on the ballot?
Both the Republicans and the Democrats will be asking voters two advisory questions on the ballot. They're different for each party: Republicans will see questions about taxes and party affiliation, while Democrats will see ones about medical marijuana and medicaid/medicare.
The questions were created by the respective parties.
But we want to make this completely clear: these questions are advisory only, and aren't binding. You won't actually be deciding about medical marijuana or taxes with your vote. Elected officials can take these results and used them to guide their decision-making in the future, but there's no 'force of law' behind these votes. The parties just want to get YOUR opinion on these issues.
Read more: SC Primary Advisory Questions
Is there a chance of a runoff?
In any race with three or more candidates, a winner must get 50 percent of the vote plus one to advance. If no candidate gets at least 50 percent, the contest goes to a runoff.
What Date is the Runoff?
That's two weeks after the primary on June 26
List of Races WCNC is Tracking:
SC Governor – Dem
Phil Noble
James Smith
Marguerite Willis
SC Governor – GOP
Kevin Bryant
Catherine Templeton
Henry McMaster
John Warren
Yancey McGill
Attorney General – GOP
Todd Atwater
William Herlong
Alan Wilson
Secretary of State – GOP
Mark Hammond
Nelson Faerber
Kerry Wood
US House 1 – GOP
Mark Sanford
Katie Arrington
Dimitri Cherny
US House 1 – Dem
Joe Cunningham
Toby Smith
US House 2 – Dem
Phil Black
Sean Carrigan
Annabelle Robertson
US House 3 -Dem
Hosea Cleveland
Mary Geren
US House 4 – Dem
Brandon Brown
JT Davis
Eric Graben
Will Morin
Doris Turner
US House 4 – GOP
Dan Albert
Barry Bell
Lee Bright
Mark Burns
Stephen Brown
James Epley
Dan Hamilton
Josh Kimbrell
John Mosser
Shannon Pierce
Justin Sanders
Claude Schmid
William Timmons
US House 5 – Dem
Mark Ali
Steve Lough
Sidney Moore
Archie Parnell
US House 7 – Dem
Bill Hopkins
Mal Hyman
Robert Williams
Bruce Fischer
US House 7 – GOP
Larry Guy Hammond
Tom Rice
SC House 41-Dem (Chester, Fairfield, Richland)
Mary Gail Douglas
Annie McDaniel