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Your guide to no-excuse absentee voting
In the first two weeks of absentee voting, Sumter County Voter Registration and Elections Director Pat Jefferson said 9,669 ballots were cast. (Photo by Micah Green/The Sumter Item).
BY KAYLA GREEN After passing the House, Senate and governor’s desk, every registered South Carolina voter can cast an absentee ballot for this November’s general election. Now what? The provision allows anyone in the state who is eligible to vote in the general election this November to cast a ballot in one of three ways: absentee early in person, absentee mail in or in person on Election Day. Mail-in absentee ballots must have a witness signature, but the election commission said ballots received through Oct. 7 were accepted without one in light of a back-and-forth with the courts. How’d we get here?
In South Carolina, mail-in ballots have needed a witness signature since 1953. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers changed the state’s election law in September to allow all voters to cast absentee ballots this November, but the Republican-led General Assembly kept the witness requirement. On Sept. 18, U.S. District Judge J. Michelle Childs struck merchant_largesign_logoonly2-OL.pdf
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down the rule requiring mail-in absentee ballots to be signed by witnesses, writing that the requirement would increase the risk of contracting COVID-19 for several groups of voters. That decision was appealed by South Carolina’s Republican leaders and the state election commission. A federal court on Thursday, Sept. 24, reinstated the requirement that South Carolinians voting by mail in this year’s general election must obtain a witness signature for their ballots, but a full appeals court reversed the decision yet again and put the requirement on hold. The final decision was made by the U.S. Supreme Court on Oct. 5, reinstating the requirement for signatures. What are my options?
Completed absentee ballots, which is a way to vote before Election Day, can be mailed in or handed to an election official at a county or satellite election office between Oct. 5 and Nov. 2. Absentee ballots cannot be handed in in person at your regular polling place on Election Day. The new law also allows election offices to start preparing absentee ballots for scan-
ning two days early, on Nov. 1. What are the deadlines for voting absentee?
• Oct. 24: Apply for a mail-in ballot • Oct. 30: Authorized representatives applying for a mailin ballot • Nov. 3: Ballots must be received by 7 p.m.
Where and how do I vote absentee in person?
To vote absentee in person, visit one of the following locations: • Sumter County Courthouse: 141 N. Main St., Sumter, – 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. • Catchall Community Center: 2720 Peach Orchard Road, Dalzell, – 9 a.m.-4 p.m. • Pinewood Community Center: 130 Epperson St., Pinewood, – 9 a.m.-4 p.m. • North Hope Center: 904 N. Main St., Sumter, – 9 a.m.-4 p.m. • Former Jones Nissan Building: 1260 Broad St., Sumter, – 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Vote absentee in person in Sumter through Nov. 2. Complete the application and cast your ballot there.
How do I vote absentee by mail?
Step 1: Get an application To request an absentee ballot be mailed to you: • Call (803) 436-2313; • Visit the county election office, 141 N. Main St., Sumter, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays; or • Print the application online at www.scvotes.gov. A member of a voter’s immediate family or authorized representative can also request the application. Step 2: Submit the application Once you receive the application, complete it, sign it, and return it by mail, email, fax or personal delivery no later than Oct. 24 at 5 p.m. An authorized representative can return the application by Oct. 30 at 5 p.m. Step 3: Receive your absentee ballot in the mail Step 4: Vote and return you absentee ballot Once you get your ballot in the mail, complete it, sign it, have a witness sign it, and return it either by mail, personal delivery or authorized representative. If returning by personal delivery, county election staff will be outside the election office during business hours
to collect ballots so you don’t have to wait in line. The state election commission is recommending absentee ballots are mailed as soon as possible, preferably a week before Election Day. To return your ballot in person on Election Day, you must do so at the county elections office by 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Poll managers cannot accept absentee ballots at precincts on Election Day. Check the status of your absentee ballot at www.scvotes. gov. To ensure your absentee by mail ballot counts, voters must:
• Sign the voter’s oath on the ballot return envelope; • Have a witness sign and provide his or her address. Any other person with a street address can be a witness; and • Return your ballot before 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. Ballots can be returned in person or by mail. Mail your ballot as soon as possible and at least a week before Election Day to allow time for delivery before the deadline.