LEXINGTON COUNTY, S.C. — Early voting has begun for the South Carolina primary elections that are set to take place on June 14th. In early May, Governor McMaster signed into law legislation that establishes early voting for the Palmetto state two weeks prior to election day.
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With this expanded window for voters, officials hope to increase voter accessibility and turnout. Voters like Ray Bai, a resident of Lexington County, say the timing couldn’t be better.
“I think it's very important to give people as many options to vote as possible. So now with the pandemic ending, I think we can have a lot more early voting so it doesn’t have to be vote by mail.”
Jeremy Jones, a voter from Lexington County, says that elections are important, especially local ones. He hopes that the ease of early voting will bring out more voters this year.
“I think it’s actually good to have an easier process in any election office or wherever you are voting. No matter where you live, no matter where you are from, you should have an easier time to vote.”
Photo ID is required to vote in South Carolina and early voting locations are available on the SCVotes website. Early voting will be available Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.