2016GeneralElectionFAQs

Q.I need to vote absentee. Can I still do that? What is the deadline to return my absentee
ballot?ShouldIreturnmyabsenteeballotbymail?
A. Voterscanvoteabsenteeinpersonattheircountyvoterregistrationandelectionsofficeup
until 5:00 p.m. on the day before the election. Voters can also vote absentee by mail.
However,sincefirstclassU.S.PostalServicemaildeliverytimeis25days,attemptingtovote
absenteebymailisnotrecommendedwithin10daysofElectionDay.Ifyoualreadyhavean
absentee by mail ballot, the ballot must be returned to the county voter registration and
elections office by 7:00 p.m. on election day. The SEC does not recommend returning your
absenteebymailballotthroughtheU.S.PostalServiceafterthesixthdaybeforetheelection.
Ifpossible,votersshouldreturntheirbymailballotinpersontotheircountyvoterregistration
and elections office. Voters can authorize another person to return their ballot with some
limitations. Authorized returnee forms are included with absentee ballots and must be
completed and returned along with the ballot. Voters may also choose to overnight their
ballotthroughtheU.S.PostalServiceorotherdeliveryservice.
Q. WheredoIvote?
A. Atthepollingplaceinyourprecinct.Yourprecinctandpollingplacearelistedonyourvoter
registrationcard.However,itspossibleyourpollingplacemayhavechangedsincethecard
wasissued.Tobesureofthelocationofyourpollingplace:
Visit scVOTES.org and click Find My Polling Place in the mySCVOTES section of the
homepage.
Callyourcountyvoterregistrationoffice.
Q.Whathourswillthepollsbeopen?
A.Pollingplaceswillbeopen7:00a.m.to7:00p.m.Aslongasyouareinlineby7:00p.m.,you
willbeallowedtovote.
Q. WhatdoItakewithmetothepollstovote?
A. Whenvotinginperson,youwillbeaskedtoshowoneofthefollowingPhotoIDs:
SCDriver'sLicense
SCDepartmentofMotorVehiclesIDCard
o includesSCConcealedWeaponsPermit
SCVoterRegistrationCardwithPhoto
USPassport
FederalMilitaryID
o includesallDepartmentofDefensePhotoIDsandtheDepartmentofVeteransAffairs
BenefitsCard


Q.WhatifIdonthaveoneofthesePhotoIDs?
A.IfyoudonothaveoneofthesephotoIDs,youcanmakeyourvotingexperienceasfastand
easyaspossiblebygettingonebeforeElectionDay.Ifyouarealreadyregisteredtovote,you
cangotoyourcountyvoterregistrationandelectionsoffice,provideyourdateofbirthandthe
last four digits of your Social Security Number, and have your photo taken. You can do this
even on Election Day. Free DMV ID Cards are also available from the Department of Motor
Vehicles.
If you cannot get a photo ID, bring your nonphoto voter registration card with you to the
polling place. You may vote a provisional ballot after signing an affidavit stating you have a
reasonableimpedimenttoobtainingaphotoID.Areasonableimpedimentisanyvalidreason,
beyondyourcontrol,whichcreatedanobstacleobtainingaphotoID.Someexamplesinclude:
adisabilityorillness,aconflictwithyourworkschedule,a lackoftransportation,alackofa
birth certificate, familyresponsibilities, a religious objection to being photographed, and any
otherobstacleyoufindreasonable.Thisballotwillcountunlesssomeoneprovestothecounty
boardofvoterregistrationandelectionsthatyouarelyingaboutyouridentityorhavingthe
listedimpediment.Tovoteunderthereasonableimpedimentexception:
1. InformthepollmanagersthatyoudonothaveaphotoIDandcouldnotgetone.
2. Presentyourcurrent,nonphotoregistrationcard.
3. Sign the affidavit provided by the poll managers stating why you could not obtain a
photoID.
4. Cast a provisional ballot that will be counted unless the county board of voter
registrationandelectionshasreasontobelieveyouraffidavitisfalse.
Q. WhathappensifIhaveaPhotoIDbutforgettobringittomypollingplace?
A. IfyouforgettobringyourphotoIDtoyourpollingplace,youmayvoteaprovisionalballotthat
will count only if you show your photo ID to your county board of voter registration and
electionsofficepriortocertificationoftheelection(onFridayaftertheGeneralElection).
Q. Ivelostmyvoterregistrationcardormyphotovoterregistrationcard.CanIstillvote?
A. Yes. Your voter registration card is your notification that you have registered to vote and
showsyourprecinctandpollingplace.Yourvoterregistrationcardisnotnecessarytovote.If
youlostyourphotovoterregistrationcard,youmayalsovotewithyourdriverslicense,DMV
issuedIDcard,federalmilitaryID,orU.S.passport.IfyoudonthaveanotherPhotoID,you
cangetareplacementphotovoterregistrationcardfromyourcountyelectionsoffice,evenon
ElectionDay.Ifyoucantgetareplacementbeforegoingtothepolls,bringyournonphoto
voterregistrationcardwithyoutothepollingplace.SeeanswertopreviousQuestionWhatif
IdonthaveoneofthesePhotoIDs?fordetails.


Q.Whatcandidatesand/orofficesareontheballottoday?
A. The candidates and offices on a particular ballot will differ depending on the county and
districts in which you reside. To see the candidates that will appear on your ballot, visit
scVOTES.organdclickGetMySampleBallotinthemySCVOTESsectionofthehomepage.
Q.Howdoesstraightpartyvotingwork?
A.WhethertovoteStraightPartyisthefirstchoiceavotermustmakeonaGeneralElection
ballot.Votingstraightpartyisoptional.Eachpoliticalpartythathasnominatedacandidate
appearingonthevotersballotisrepresentedinthestraightpartyselectionarea.Ifapartyis
selected under straight party, every candidate of that party is automatically selected. The
voter then has the option of changing their vote for any particular office (also known as
crossovervoting)simplybytouchingthecandidateofchoiceforthatoffice.Votersshould
alsobeawarethatwhenvotingstraightpartynoselectionismadefornonpartisanofficesand
questions. These contests must be voted individually. As always, voters should carefully
reviewtheirchoicesonthereviewscreenbeforecastingtheirballot.
Q. Howistheballotorderdeterminedforcandidatesandpoliticalparties?
A. Candidatesforpartisanofficesappearontheballotinpartyorder.Partyorderrotatesevery
twoyearsatthetimeofthegeneralelection.Whenpartyorderrotates,thepartythatwas
previouslyfirstintheordermovestothebottomofthelist.Petitionisincludedinthisparty
rotation so that the place for petition candidates rotates with the parties. Multiple petition
candidates are ordered alphabetically by last name. Candidates for nonpartisan offices are
ordered alphabetically by last name. The writein space always appears last in the list of
candidatesforaparticularoffice.
Q. IsthereawriteinoptionforPresidentandVicePresident?
A. No.InSouthCarolina,thereisnooptiontowriteinavoteforPresidentandVicePresident.
StatelawprohibitswriteinvoteforPresidentandVicePresident(S.C.CodeofLawsSection7
13360).
Q. IfIdontwanttovoteonavotingmachine,canIvoteapaperballot?
A. SouthCarolinasvotingsystemfeaturesbothvotingmachinesandpaperballots.Votersmust
vote on voting machines except under limitedcircumstances as defined by state law. Paper
ballots may be used only for voting absentee by mail, for emergency situations at the polls
(votingmachinesnotavailable),andforprovisionalvoting(whentheressomequestionabout
avotersqualifications).


Q. Ivemovedsincethelastelectionandhaventupdatedbyvoterregistrationcard.CanIstill
vote?
A. Ifyou
1. moved to another residence within your precinct, you can update your address at your
pollingplaceandvotearegularballot.
2. moved to a different precinct within your county, you are eligible vote Failsafe (see
below).
3. moved to another residence in another county within 30 days of the election, you are
eligibletovoteFailsafe(seebelow).
4.movedtoanotherresidenceinanothercountypriorto30daysbeforetheelection,you
arenoteligibletovote.Youwouldberequiredtoregisterpriortothedeadline.
TwoOptionsforVotingFailsafe:
1.Thevotermayvoteatthepollingplaceinhispreviousprecinctusingafailsafeprovisional
ballot. A failsafe provisional ballot contains only federal, statewide, countywide, and
municipalitywideoffices.
2.Thevotermaygotothevoterregistrationofficeinthecountyinwhichhecurrentlyresides,
changehisaddress,andvotearegularballotthere.
Q. ImovedtoSouthCarolinaaftertheOctober9voterregistrationdeadline.CanIvote?
A. VoterswhomovefromStateAtoStateBafterthedeadlinetoregistertovoteinStateBcan
voteaballotinStateAforPresidentandVicePresidentonly(42U.S.C.1973aa1(e)).Contact
electionofficialsinyourpreviousstateofregistrationtofindouthowtogetyourballot.
Q. I saw a candidate/member of candidates campaign at my polling place talking to voters.
Canhedothat?
A. Yes,buttherearerestrictions:
Inside the polling place: No campaigning is allowed. Candidates may be inside the polling
place and talk to voters as long as they are not campaigning, intimidating voters, or
interferingwiththeelectionprocess.
Within 200 feet of an entrance to a polling place: Candidates and campaign staff may
campaignaslongastheyarenotintimidatingvotersorinterferingwiththeelectionprocess.
However,nocampaignliterature,signs,orpostersareallowed.Candidatesareallowedto
wear a badge no larger than 4.25 x 4.25 featuring only the candidates name and office
sought.Candidatesmustremovetheirbadgeuponenteringapollingplace.
Q. A candidate is definitely campaigning while in the polling place, or there is campaign
literaturewithin200feetoftheentrance.WhatcanIdo?
A. Inform the poll clerk immediately. If the issue is not resolved, contact the county board of
voterregistrationandelections.Theboardwilladdressthecomplaint.


Q. Cancandidatesortheirrepresentativestakepeopletothepollstovote?
A. Yes.Itsokforanyperson,evenacandidate,togiveavoterarideaslongasitssolelytohelp
facilitatevoting.However,noonecangiveavoteranythingofvalueinexchangeforvoting.
Q. Arethereanylawsaboutcandidatespostingtheirsignsalongtheroadway?
A. Yes,thereareseveralstatelawsaddressingpoliticalsignsonroadways,aswellascountyand
municipal ordinances. See SC Code of Laws Sections 572510, 5725140, and 725210.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the entity that maintains the road (state, county, and
municipality)toenforceapplicablesignlaws.
Q. Doemployershavetogiveyoutimeofftovote?
A. No.Thereisnostateorfederallawmandatingthatemployersgivetimeofftoemployeesto
vote. Voters who know they will not be able to visit the polls on Election Day should vote
absenteebeforetheelection.
Q. Acandidateislistedmorethanonceonmyballot.Isthiscorrect?
A. Some candidates may be nominated by more than one political party. If so, candidates are
listedonceforeachpartybywhichtheyarenominated.Thisprocessissometimesreferredto
asfusionvoting,andcandidatesaresometimesreferredtoasfusioncandidates.Allvotes
forfusioncandidatesgotothecandidate.Forexample,ifcandidateAreceives100votesas
the nominee for Party1 and 100 votes as thenominee for Party2, the candidate receives a
totalof200votes.Whilethecandidatereceivesallvotescastforthecandidate,regardlessof
party,thistotalisnotdisplayedinelectionresults.Resultsarereportedseparatelyforeach
nomination.
Q. Areballotselfieslegal?CanItakeapictureofmyballotandshareitwithothers?
A. No.Statelawprohibitsanyonefromshowingtheirballottoanotherperson(S.C.CodeofLaws
Section725100).Theuseofcamerasisnotallowedinsidethevotingbooth.
Q. AreSouthCarolinaselectionssecure?HowcanItrustthatmyvotewillcount?
A. SouthCarolinaelectionofficialstakeelectionsecurityseriouslyandhavetakenallreasonable
measures to protect the statewide voter registration system, the voting system, and the
electionprocessingeneral.SouthCarolinaelectionofficialsworkwithabroadbasedteamof
law enforcement, intelligence, and cyber security professionals to ensure we are doing
everything we can to protect the election infrastructure. Its important to know that voting
machines and computers used to tabulate results are never connected to the internet. The
voting system was tested on the federal and state levels before implementation, and each
machineistestedbylocalelectionofficialsbeforeeveryelectiontoensurethemachinesare
workingproperly.TheStateElectionCommissionconductsacomprehensive,statewidepost
electionauditofdatafromeveryvotingmachineandeverycomputerusedtotabulateresults
inthestatetoensurevoteswerecountedaccuratelyandcompletely.SouthCarolinas


electionsareconductedtransparentlybynonpartisanelectionprofessionalswhoarededicated
toprotectingthesacredrighttovote.VoterscangotothepollsonElectionDayknowingthat
significant checks and balances are in place to give them the assurance that their vote will
count.
Q. Ihaveheardthatvotingmachinescanflipmyvote.Isthattrue?
A. No.Itsnotpossibleforavotingmachinetoflipavote,butitispossibleforavotertomake
an unintended selection, or for the voting machine screen to be slightly off calibration. An
unintendedselectioncanoccurifthevoterdragsafingeronthescreen,touchesthescreenin
two places (both hands), or in some other way inadvertently touches the screen.
Touchscreens can also lose proper calibration. Loss of calibration is usually a matter of
millimeters,sothatifyoutouchedneartheedgeofonecandidateitcouldhighlightandcheck
the adjoining candidate. Unintended selections are likely the source of rumors about vote
flipping. While these unintended selections can happen, its highly unlikely that it would
resultinavotercastingaballotforthewrongcandidate.Hereswhy:

Whenacandidateisselected,itsveryobvious.Theblockincludingthecandidatesname
ishighlightedinbrightgreenwitharedcheckmarkbesidethecandidatesname.Itshard
tomisswhichcandidatehasbeenselected.Ifthewrongcandidateisselected,thevoter
shouldtryagainbeingcarefultotouchthemachinewithonlyonefinger.Ifavoteris
havingtroublemakingaselection,thevotershouldalertapollmanager.
Everyvoterisrequiredtoviewthereviewscreenbeforecastingtheirballot.Thisshowsa
summaryofallcandidatesselectedandgivesthevotertheopportunitytomakeany
changes.Again,ifincorrect,thevotershouldeithercorrecttheselectionornotifyapoll
manager.
Ifavoterexperiencesacalibrationissueandnotifiesthepollmanager,pollmanagerstake
thatmachineoutofserviceuntilitisrecalibratedbyatechnician.

Allvotersshouldbecarefulanddeliberateinmakingtheirselections,theyshouldreviewtheir
selectionsbeforecastingtheirballot,andiftheyexperienceanyissuesvotingtheirballot,they
shouldimmediatelyalertapollmanager.
Q. CanalcoholicbeveragesbesoldonElectionDay?
A. Yes,thebanonthesaleofalcoholicliquorsonstatewideelectiondayswasliftedasofJuly1,
2014.FormoreinformationcontacttheS.C.DepartmentofRevenue,(803)8985864.
Q.CanlotteryticketsbesoldonElectionDay?
A.Yes,lotteryticketscanbesoldonElectionDay.
Q. WhenIleftthepolls,Iwasaskedtoparticipateinanexitpoll.Isthislegal?
A. Exit polls are legal and participation is voluntary. They are NOT conducted by the State
ElectionCommissionorthecountyboardsofvoterregistrationandelections.Exitpollsmay
notbeconductedinsidethepollingplace,andvotersshouldnotbeapproachedastheyenter


thepollingplace.Ifyoufeelthreatenedorintimidatedbyapollster,reportitimmediatelyto
thepollclerk.
Q.Whenandwherewillresultsbereported?
A. UnofficialresultswillbereportedbytheSEConelectionnightatwww.scVOTES.org.Results
are reported as the SEC receives them from each county board of voter registration and
elections. Results are also reported locally at each polling place and at county voter
registrationandelectionsoffices.
Q. Whenisarecountnecessary?
A. Whenthedifferencebetweenanywinningcandidateandanyothernonwinningcandidateis
1%orlessofthetotalvotescastforallcandidatesforthatoffice,arecountismandatory.
Q.WherecanIreportanissueorfileacomplaintabouttheelection?
A. AnyissuesorcomplaintsregardingapollingplaceonElectionDayshouldfirstbeaddressedto
thepollmanagers.Pollmanagersmaybeabletoquicklyresolvetheissue.Ifnotresolvedat
thepollingplace,oriftheissueorcomplaintisregardingsomeotheraspectoftheelection,
votersshouldcontacttheircountyboardofvoterregistrationandelections.

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