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There is no length of residency requirement in South Carolina in order to register to vote. You can register at any time.

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. For the 2024 Statewide Primary: the in-person deadline is 5pm on May 10th, the online deadline is 11:59pm on May 12th, and the by mail deadline is May 13th.

*Persons aged 17 who will be 18 on or before November 5th, 2024 are eligible to register anytime before a deadline and can vote in the June Statewide Primaries because they are extensions of the 2024 November General Election.

A person who is registered to vote according to law shall remain permanently registered and entitled to all rights and privileges of registration unless his name is removed from the registration list for cause.

For additional information on registration, duplicate certificates, change of address, precinct locations, statistics, etc., please contact the County Voter Registration Board Office.

Duties of the Election and Registration Board

1. Register all qualified Darlington County citizens to vote.
2. Determine qualifications of all applicants and assign proper voting precincts and voting districts.
3. Issues voter registration certificates.
4. Maintain county voter records in conjunction with the State Election Commission.
5. Provide absentee by-mail, & in-person early voting services. The elections and registration office acts as the Early Voting location for all federal, state, and local elections held in the county. Operate satellite Early Voting locations as needed.
6. Validate signatures on petitions for non-partisan candidates and referenda.
7. Conduct all elections in Darlington County for federal, state, county, and municipalities.
8. Provide accurate information and quality assistance to the public.

Visit www.scvotes.gov to find your voting precinct and districts, plus view your sample ballot. You can also search your address on the Darlington County GIS/Mapping to determine your precinct. To check if you are in City/town limits you can also use one of the map options on this site Darlington County, All Maps. Note: Hartsville is the only municipality that had any changes to its city council lines, and you can determine with the Hartsville Map if you city council district changed.

Photo ID is in effect in Darlington County. Please click on the link for more information. Photo ID Requirements

Qualifications for Registration:

To be eligible to register to vote in South Carolina, a person must meet the following qualifications:

• Be a United States citizen
• Be at least 18 years old on or before the next general election (November 5th, 2024)
• Be a resident in the county and polling precinct in which the elector offers to vote
• Not be under a current court order declaring the elector mentally incompetent
• Not be confined in any public prison resulting from a conviction of a crime
• Not have been convicted of a felony or any offense against the election laws, unless the elector has served his entire sentence, including probation and parole time, or has received a pardon

Where to Register to Vote

• Register at the County Voter Registration Board Office. Proof of residency is required.
• Register by mail.
• Register at any of the designated motor voter sites, including the Department of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Social Services & other state and federal public service agencies.
• Register on the Internet at the following sites:
  • S.C. Voter Registration Online or Mail Application - www.scvotes.gov
  • National Mail Voter Registration Application - www.eac.gov
  • Military & Overseas Citizens Federal Post Card Application - www.fvap.gov

Qualifications to Vote By-Mail Absentee Ballot: These reasons were updated after May 31st, 2022 due to the new Early Voting law.

Any qualified elector who falls into one of the following categories is eligible to receive absentee ballots:

1. Persons with employment obligations which prevent 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.
2. Persons attending a sick or physically disabled person which 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.
3. Persons confined to a jail or pretrial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial which 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 (Learn more about procedures related to Military and Overseas Citizens).
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 (see additional details below)

Any elector wishing to vote by absentee ballot must apply to the County Voter Registration Board.  Applications for absentee ballots can be submitted anytime during the calendar year of the election to be held, in which the elector chooses to vote by absentee ballot. The registration board must receive the completed application by 5:00 p.m., eleven days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed. For the 2024 Statewide Primary, the deadline is May 31st.

If an elector is admitted to a hospital as an emergency patient on the day of election or within a four day period before the election, a member of the immediate family may obtain and complete an application, receive the ballot and deliver it personally to the patient who will vote it. That family member will then personally deliver the ballot back to the County Voter Registration Board. These ballots must be returned before closing of polls on election day.

Immediate family is defined as: Spouse, Parent, Child, Sister, Brother, Grandparents, Grandchildren, Mothers-in-law, Fathers-in-law, Brothers-in-law, Sisters-in-law, Sons-in-law and Daughters-in-law.

The absentee ballot application form may be requested by the voter himself, a member of his/her immediate family or by the authorized representative of voter. The voter or a member of his immediate family may request the application in person, by telephone or by mail. A voter's authorized representative must request an absentee ballot application in person or by mail only, and must himself be a registered voter and must sign an oath to the effect that he fits the statutory definition of such a representative.

Authorized representatives are registered electors who, with a voter's permission, act for a voter unable to go to the polls because of illness or disability resulting in his confinement in a hospital, sanitarium, nursing home, or place of residence; or a voter unable because of physical disability to go to his polling place, or because of such disability unable to vote at his polling place due to existing architectural barriers which deny him physical access to the polling place, voting booth or voting apparatus.

A candidate or member of a candidate's paid campaign staff, including volunteers reimbursed for time expended on campaign activity, may not request an absentee ballot application for any person unless the person is a member of their immediate family.

For additional information on absentee balloting or to request an application for absentee ballot, please contact the County Voter Registration Board Office.