§ 7-13-25 — Early voting.

South Carolina § 7-13-25

• Jurisdiction: South Carolina
• Title 7: ELECTIONS
• Ch. 13: CONDUCT OF ELECTIONS

Text

(A) Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter or Chapter 5 of this title, the authority charged by law with conducting an election shall establish a procedure by which a qualified elector may cast his ballot, without excuse, during an early voting period for all elections. The qualified elector may cast a ballot during an early voting period pursuant to this section. (B) Early voting centers must be established and maintained to ensure that voters may cast only one ballot. (C) A qualified elector may cast his ballot at an early voting center in the county in which he resides. (D) Each county board of voter registration and elections must establish at least one early voting center and may establish up to seven early voting centers. Each early voting center must be supervised by employees of the county board of voter registration and elections or the State Election Commission. (E) The early voting period shall be from Monday through Saturday for the two-week period immediately preceding an election. (F) The county board of voter registration and elections shall provide the hours of operation for the early voting center or centers in accordance with the following: (1) for statewide general elections, the early voting centers must be open from 8:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on each day of the early voting period; (2) for any election that is not a statewide general election or runoff election, the early voting centers must be open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. during the early voting period; (3) for any runoff election, the early voting centers must be open on the Wednesday through Friday immediately preceding the election and must be open from 8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.; and (4) for any election, the early voting centers must not be open on Sundays or on legal holidays. (G)(1) Each county board of voter registration and elections must determine locations for its early voting centers. In selecting locations for early voting centers, the county board of voter registration and elections must consider geography, population, and ADA compliant accessibility. The county board of voter registration and elections must distribute the locations throughout the county to maximize accessibility for all voters in the county to the greatest extent possible. (2) Each county board of voter registration and elections must identify locations it intends to utilize as early voting centers for a statewide primary and a statewide general election by March 10 before that primary election. (3) The Executive Director of the State Election Commission must approve the addition or relocation of early voting centers after March 10, and may, at his discretion, direct the move of early voting centers to ensure proper distribution throughout each county. (H) The county board of voter registration and elections must publish the location and hours of each early voting center at least fourteen days before the early voting period begins. Publication of the schedule must be made, at a minimum, to a website or webpage managed by, or on behalf of, each respective county board of voter registration and elections. (I) Each early voting center must have available every ballot style in use in the particular county for that election. (J) Upon the daily closure of each early voting center, all ballots must be transported to the county board of voter registration and elections and stored in a secure location. (K) A sign must be posted prominently in each early voting center and shall have printed on it: "VOTING MORE THAN ONCE IS A FELONY AND, UPON CONVICTION, A PERSON MUST BE FINED NOT LESS THAN ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS NOR MORE THAN FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS AND IMPRISONED NOT MORE THAN FIVE YEARS". (L) The provisions of this section do not apply to presidential preference primaries held pursuant to Section 7-11-20.

Legislative History

HISTORY: 2022 Act No. 150 (S.108), SECTION 1, eff May 13, 2022. Editor's Note 2022 Act No. 150, SECTION 40.D, provides as follows: "[SECTION 40.]D. For the 2022 statewide elections, each county board of voter registration and elections must identify each early voting center it intends to utilize and provide the locations to the State Election Commission Executive Director as follows: (1) for the primary election, no later than May 24, 2022; and (2) for the general election, no later than July 1, 2022. The Executive Director must approve any additions or changes to these early voting centers, and may direct the move of early voting centers to ensure proper distribution throughout each county."