South Carolina 2026 elections

Contests on the board in South Carolina

The general-election contests the Ledger tracks in South Carolina, each with the raters' current call, the newest public polling and the money reported.

Candidate profiles from South Carolina

SC-1 · South Carolina

Jenny Costa Honeycutt

Charleston County Council member and attorney; 2026 Republican nominee for South Carolina's 1st District. Record, returns, finances and priorities, sourced.

Read Jenny Costa Honeycutt's recordThe race

Key dates and deadlines

Read from the South Carolina State Election Commission on Sep 17, 2026. The authority's own page, linked beside each date, is the final word — confirm it before you act.

• Voter registration deadline — online, fax or emailSunday, October 4, 2026, 11:59 p.m.: applications submitted online at scVOTES.gov, or returned by fax or email attachment, must be received by this time. The State Election Commission describes Sunday, October 4 as the deadline to register for the November 3 Statewide General Election. Online registration requires a South Carolina driver's license or DMV ID. scvotes.gov
• Voter registration deadline — by mail (postmarked)Monday, October 5, 2026: a voter registration application sent by mail must be postmarked by this date. The State Election Commission explains that mailed applications must be postmarked at least 30 days before the election and that, when that day falls on a Sunday or a U.S. Postal Service holiday, the postmark deadline is extended to the next day that is not a Sunday or holiday. scvotes.gov
• Voter registration deadline — in personFriday, October 2, 2026, 5:00 p.m., to register in person at your county voter registration office. The State Election Commission's 2026 calendar prints this deadline with the note “unless county board holds weekend hours”, and its September 15, 2026 release says most offices will close at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 2. scvotes.gov
• Absentee ballots sent to military and overseas voters (deadline)September 19, 2026 is the deadline for county offices to mail General Election absentee ballots to military and overseas (UOCAVA) voters. For other absentee voters the State Election Commission gives no calendar date: its Absentee Voting page says voters who have applied early will be mailed their absentee ballot approximately 30 days before the election. scvotes.gov
• Early voting beginsMonday, October 19, 2026. Early voting centers are open 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, during the early voting period, and are closed Sunday, October 25. scvotes.gov
• Early voting endsSaturday, October 31, 2026. The State Election Commission's 2026 calendar gives 6:00 p.m. on October 31 as the deadline to vote early in person for the General Election. scvotes.gov
• Absentee ballot application deadlineOctober 23, 2026, 5:00 p.m.: deadline to apply for an absentee ballot for the General Election. The State Election Commission's Absentee Voting page states the rule as 5:00 p.m. on the 11th day prior to the election, and says the completed application is returned by U.S. mail or personal delivery to your county voter registration office. scvotes.gov
• Absentee ballot return deadline (received, not postmarked)Ballots must be received by the county voter registration office by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, November 3, 2026; this is a received-by deadline, not a postmark deadline. The State Election Commission says ballots should be mailed no later than one week prior to Election Day to help ensure timely delivery. Military and overseas voters have separate return rules, published on the Commission's Military & Overseas Citizens page. scvotes.gov
• Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026 — the 2026 Statewide General Election. scvotes.gov
• Poll hoursPolls are open 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The State Election Commission's How to Vote page adds that anyone in line at 7:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote. scvotes.gov

Official voting tools

These links go to the state's own tools. The Ledger does not collect registrations or ballots.

Rules to know

• What to bring

  When voting in person — at an early voting center or at your polling place on Election Day — you will be asked to show one of the following current and valid Photo IDs: SC Driver's License (includes standard license and REAL ID); SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card (includes standard ID card and REAL ID; includes SC Concealed Weapons Permit); SC Voter Registration Card with Photo; Federal Military ID (includes all Department of Defense Photo IDs and the Veterans Affairs Benefits Card); US Passport (includes US Passport ID Card). The Commission's page for the 2026 Statewide General Election gives the list as SC Driver's License, SC DMV ID Card, SC Voter Registration Card with Photo, Federal Military ID, Concealed Weapons Permit, Temporary Identification Certificate, or US Passport. If you forget to bring your Photo ID, you may vote a provisional ballot that will count only if you show your Photo ID to the county voter registration and elections office prior to certification of the election (usually Thursday or Friday after the election). If you can't get a Photo ID, bring your non-photo voter registration card with you to the polling place; a reasonable impediment is any valid reason, beyond your control, which created an obstacle to obtaining a Photo ID. You may vote a provisional ballot after signing an affidavit stating you have a reasonable impediment to obtaining Photo ID, and that ballot will count unless someone proves to the county board of voter registration and elections that you are lying about your identity or about having the listed impediment. A free Photo ID is available from your county voter registration and elections office or your local DMV office. Read from: scvotes.gov

• Voting absentee by mail

  Only voters with a qualifying reason may vote absentee by mail. The State Election Commission lists: (1) persons with employment obligations, (2) persons attending a sick or physically disabled person, or (3) persons confined to a jail or pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial, when that prevents them from voting during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period and during the hours the polls are open on Election Day; (4) persons who will be absent from their county of residence during early voting hours for the duration of the early voting period and during the hours the polls are open on Election Day; (5) persons with physical disabilities; (6) persons sixty-five years of age or older; (7) members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines of the United States, their spouses, and dependents residing with them; and (8) persons admitted to a hospital as an emergency patient on the day of the election or within a four-day period before the election. How to ask: request an application — as early as January 1 of the election year — by calling, visiting or writing by U.S. mail to your county voter registration office, giving your name, date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security Number; an application will be mailed to you (state law no longer allows delivery of absentee applications electronically or by fax). Complete, sign and return the application by U.S. mail or personal delivery to your county voter registration office by 5:00 p.m. on the 11th day prior to the election (October 23, 2026). When you vote, sign the voter's oath and have your signature witnessed; anyone age 18 or older can witness your signature, and a notary is not necessary. Return the ballot to your county voter registration office or an early voting center, by mail or personal delivery, so that it is received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. You must present Photo ID when returning the ballot in person; a person returning a ballot for a voter must complete and sign the Authorized Returnee form with the voter, return the envelope in person (mailing is not allowed) and show Photo ID, and may return no more than five ballots in addition to their own per election. Read from: scvotes.gov

• Early voting

  Early voting allows all registered voters to vote in person prior to Election Day. For the 2026 Statewide General Election, early voting runs Monday, October 19 – Saturday, October 31, 2026; early voting centers are open 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Monday–Saturday) and are closed Sunday, October 25. You can visit any early voting center in your county during the early voting period, present your Photo ID, and vote using the voting system as you would at your polling place on Election Day. The Commission's Early Voting page lists the early voting centers for the 2026 Statewide General Election county by county. Read from: scvotes.gov

• Track your absentee ballot

  You can check the status of your absentee request and track your ballot online through the State Election Commission's MyscVOTES portal (“Check Your Absentee Ballot”), or contact your county voter registration office. To log in, enter your personal information as it appears on your voter registration card: county, first name, last name, date of birth and the last four digits of your Social Security Number. The same portal is used to check your voter registration, find your polling place, get your sample ballot and check the status of a provisional ballot. Read from: scvotes.gov

• Curbside voting and assistance

  Voters who are unable to access the polling place or stand in line to vote due to a disability or being age 65 or older may vote in their vehicle (curbside voting). Curbside voting does not require a disability parking placard; poll managers monitor the curbside voting area at a minimum of 15-minute intervals, and only the voter is allowed in the vehicle while voting unless the voter is entitled to assistance. Voters with disabilities and voters who are blind or unable to read or write may receive assistance in voting; you may choose anyone to assist in casting your ballot except for your employer, an agent of your employer, or an officer or agent of your union. Voters with disabilities are also qualified to vote absentee. Read from: scvotes.gov

• Voting after a felony conviction

  The State Election Commission's eligibility list says that, to register in South Carolina, you must not be confined in any public prison resulting from a conviction of a crime, and must have never been convicted of a felony or offense against the election laws — or, if previously convicted, must have served the entire sentence, including probation or parole, or have received a pardon for the conviction. Read from: scvotes.gov

On the statewide ballot

Offices on the November 3, 2026 statewide ballot, per the South Carolina State Election Commission:

Governor and Lieutenant Governor · Secretary of State · State Treasurer · Attorney General · Comptroller General · State Superintendent of Education · Commissioner of Agriculture · U.S. Senate · U.S. House of Representatives · State House of Representatives

Questions and answers