Voting in York County
A voter shows his ‘I Voted’ sticker in front of the
York County Government Center in the Town of York.
Want your picture here? Take a selfie at any
precinct or early voting location
with an I VOTED sticker and email it
to ycdp.tv@gmail.com
In 2026, South Carolina
and York Count will hold
a General Elections
for:
Governor, One Senator,
US House, SC House
and some County Council and
local offices and board seats
🚧And TWO🚧
Count’em — TWO
Special Primaries
one for State Senate Dist 15
and one to replace
Lindsey Graham on the
Republican ballot
Details on our
TWO SPECIAL PRIMARIES
page
UPDATE:
Early Voting locations for the Special Primary for SC Senate District 15 HAVE CHANGED. See the EARLY VOTING LOCATIONS section tor details
What’s on this page?
2026
Election Dates
🚧 Yikes! Two (count’em - TWO) 🚧
Special Primary Elections
affecting York County
in 2026 have really complicated
the election calendar.
In Calendar Order:
Special ‘Republican’ Primary
to replace Lindsey Graham on the
ballot for US Senator
Candidate filing: Noon July 21 through noon July 28, 2026
Special Primary Day: Tuesday,August 11, 2026
Early voting: Wednesday, August 5 through Friday, August 7, 2026, 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Runoff: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Early voting: Wednesday, August 19 through Friday, August 21, 2026, 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
A runoff is likely, considering the number of candidates expected to file for the Special Primary
BREAKING NEWS: on July 15, the SC Election Commission decided that voters who took Democratic ballots in the June Primary are not eligible to vote in this Special Primary. The SCDP agrees.
#############
Special Primary
to replace Wes Climer as
State Senator for
State Senate District 15
(in York County)
Climer resigned to run against Mallory Dittmer for the open seat for US House District 5
Only voters in SC Senate District 15 can vote in this Special Primary
Candidate filing (now closed): July 10-18, 2026
Special Primary Day: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
The Special Election itself is part of the November 3 General Election. The Special Primary is needed because two candidates filed in the Democratic Party.
Location: your usual Precinct polling place. Find it with your voter registration at scvotes.gov
Early Special Primary voting: Monday, August 17 – Friday, August 28, 2026, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
UPDATE: Early voting locations for this Special Primary have changed to:
Fire Training Center of York County
2500 McFarland Rd,York, SC 29745Staybridge Suites at Galleria Mall
493 Galleria Blvd, Rock Hill, SC 29730
Voters registered in SC Senate District 15 can vote early at either of these locations.
Location: only at the York County Government Center, 6 South Congress Street, Suite 1201, York, SC
This location is for early voting only for the Special Democratic Primary for State Senate District 15. It will not be open for early voting in November.
Runoff if needed: Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Location: your usual Precinct polling place. Find it with your voter registration at scvotes.gov
A runoff will be triggered if no Democratic candidate receives more than 50% of the Primary votey. With only two Democrats filed , that would take an unusual write-in campaign.
Runoff early voting if needed: Wednesday, September 9 – Friday, September 11, 2026, 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Location: same as the Special Primary, above (and note the change in locations).
###########
November General Election:
Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Location: your usual Precinct polling place. Find it with your voter registration at scvotes.gov
Early voting: Two weeks, from Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 30, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Early voting polls are open on Saturday, closed Sundays and holidays
##########
Planning ahead for 2028? South Carolina has long been an early Primary state for the Presidential election, and in 2024 the Democratic Party decided to make us the First in the Nation Primary, technically eclipsing the New Hampshire Primary (which was still held first, but ‘ignored’, while the Iowa caucuses transitioned to a mail-in ballot with a much later deadline).
But with President Biden running for a second term (at the time), there was no serious primary challenge, so the First in the Nation status was mostly a vanity exercise, with little consequence.
2028 will be a different story, and while a few Democrats are already (as of July 2026) positioning themselves for a potential run, we are a long way from any decisions. And the DNC has not announced how they will handle the 2028 Primaries.
Note that the early SC Primary—first in the nation or a little later—is only for President. The state holds a second Primary in June for all other offices. This has been a point of confusion for voters every Presidential election cycle.
Voter Information
The SCVotes.gov web site is a one-stop shop for voter information. You can
check and update your voter registration.
Get a sample ballot (when they’re ready).
Find your Polling Place and more.
VoteBlueSC is another voter information resource with a section on voting rights and a FAQ about voting in South Carolina.
Voter Registration
Are you registered to vote?
You must be registered no less than 30 days before an election. Registration closes for the November 3, 2026 General Election on October 2, 2026 .
The SC DMV offers voter registration when you get your Driver’s License, so chances are you registered then. If you’re not sure, check here (that’s the official State site) :
Who can register?
Who can vote in SC?
Required:
You have to be a US Citizen, over 18 by election day, and
a SC resident in the county and precinct in which you are registering/voting.
Disqualifiers:
You can’t be under a court order declaring you mentally incompetent.
You can’t be in prison following a conviction.
If you have been convicted of a felony or offense against the election laws, you must have served your entire sentence, including probation or parole, or have received a pardon for the conviction.
If you need to register, first you need an up-to-date SC Driver’s License or State ID. If you don’t have one, or if you’ve moved, your first stop is at the DMV. While you’re there getting or updating your Driver’s License or ID, you can also register to vote (watch those deadlines!).
If you’re all set with your Driver’s License or State ID – but you’re not registered to vote – you can register online. You can also register in person at the York County Government Center in the town of York. Here’s a list of other agencies that offer voter registration. Finally, voter registration tables are usually set up at a variety of events and rallies.
Voting in person —
What do you need?
South Carolina has a Voter ID Law that requires a Photo ID, but does have exceptions. For most people, a current SC Drivers License or ID Card is all you need. Other accepted IDs include a SC Voter Registration Card with Photo, Federal Military ID (Includes all Department of Defense Photo IDs and Veterans Affairs Benefits Card), and a US Passport (Includes US Passport ID Card).
If you don’t have a Photo ID, but you are registered to vote, you can get a free Photo ID from your county voter registration and elections office or your local DMV office.
More details on voting and a list of exceptions from the Photo ID requirement are here in an extensive FAQ from SCVotes.
●
Early Voting
Sorry to bounce you around 🤔 All the Special Primary information has really complicated the Early Voting calendar.
For now, you’ll find it all in this block on this page.
Early Voting Locations
These were the three Early Voting Locations for the June 2026 Primary. They have also been listed for the Special Republican Primary, and two of them will be used for the Special State Senate District 15 Primary. Early voting locations for the November 3 General Election have not been announced, but there’s a good chance it will be these same locations.
Voters registered in York County may vote at any of the early voting locations. These locations are only for early voting. All voting on November 3 and on the Special Primary day-of elections will be at your designated precinct. Find it with your voter registration at scvotes.gov
Carolinas Cornerstone -1790 Gardendale Rd, Fort Mill, SC 29708
This is the one that is not in use for the Special Primary for State Senate District 15
Fire Training Center of York County - 2500 McFarland, York, SC 29745
Holiday Inn Rock Hill - 503 Galleria Blvd., Rock Hill, SC 29730
Early voting for the Special Primary for State Senate District 15: The second two locations (Fire Training Center in York and Holiday Inn - Rock Hill) are Early Voting locations for this Special Primary. Carolinas Cornerstone is not an Early Voting location for the Special Primary.
Vote by Mail
(Absentee Voting)
In South Carolina, voting by mail is still called Absentee Voting. Everyone over 65 may vote by mail. Most people younger than 65 must vote in person, but there are exceptions. The list includes things like employment, illness, travel, disabilities, Armed Forces and Merchant Marine service.
The SC Election Commission has this detailed FAQ for Absentee Voting. It should answer almost any question.
Note that there is no online application for Absentee Voting (state law). But you can download the forms to complete and mail back to your County Board of Elections.
Authorized Representative Form
Used when requesting an absentee application on behalf of a Voter.Authorized Returnee Form
Used when returning absentee by-mail ballot on behalf of a Voter.
All requestors are limited to five requests in addition to their own per election. Voters may participate in only one party’s presidential preference primary.
The request period began on January 1, 2026. Call 803-684-1242 or visit the Board of Voter Registration and Elections Office of York County to request an application. The deadline to return your application (not your ballot) is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 2026
The FAQ says that ballots will be mailed to Absentee Voters about 30 days before the election.
You can return the ballot in person to the York County voter registration office, or you can mail it in. If you return it in person, you will need a Photo ID, same as voting in person.
Ballots returned by mail should be mailed no later than one week prior to election day to help ensure timely delivery (and if you’ve tracked mail recently, you might consider mailing it two weeks before election day). Ballots must be received by the York County voter registration office by 7:00 p.m. on election day.