CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) – The South Carolina Republican Presidential Primary is this Saturday, February 20th. Officials with the Horry County Voters Registration and Elections office say hundreds of people have already cast absentee ballots and they expect even larger crowds this weekend.
The primary falls on a Saturday which means some polling locations will be in a different location due to availability.
“Polls open from 7am-7pm. If your precinct has been moved, there will be a sign on your old location telling you where to go or you can call here and we’ll tell you or you can check the county website for precinct changes,” Director of Voters Registration and Elections Sandy Martin said.
You must be registered at least 30 days prior to any election in order to vote in that election.
Registration by mail applications must be postmarked at least 30 days prior to that particular election to be eligible.
However, you don’t have to worry about party affiliation for the upcoming primaries.
“One of our biggest questions is people call and they say I’m a registered Democrat but I want to vote Republican for this, what do I need to do to change my party? Number one, you’re not registered by party in South Carolina so you can vote either the 20th for Republican or the 27th for Democrat and it’s not going to bind you from either party,” Martin said.
While you can choose when to vote, you can only vote once.
“A lot of the voters are calling in wanting to know if they can vote in both primaries. You cannot vote in both. You have to choose one and we will know because we use the same set of books for each election and if you vote on the 20th you’ll already be marked off if you try to go again on the 27th,” Martin added.
For information about where your precinct is click here.
“If you vote in either the Democrat or Republican primary, it has nothing to do with June or November. It’s also, we’re not registered by party in South Carolina so you can pick your choice. You can only vote in one but you can vote in either Saturday.”
