Republican and Democratic Presidential Preference Primaries are tentatively scheduled

The Republican and Democratic Presidential Preference Primaries are tentatively scheduled

for Saturday, February 20^th and Saturday, February 27^th respectively.  As with all Primary Elections, there is usually mass confusion, which doesn’t have to be the case. Just follow these simple guidelines.

A voter can only vote in one Primary, so he or she must decide in which to participate. In South Carolina, we do not register by political party so regardless of which primary the voter chooses to participate in, they may vote for a different political party in June.   (For instance, if a voter casts a ballot in the February Democratic Presidential Preference Primary, they may vote in the June Republican Primary or vice-versa if they choose to do so).

A voter must register at least 30 days prior to the primaries to be eligible to cast a

ballot in either primary. The last day to register to vote in the Republican Presidential

Preference Primary is January 20^th. The last day to register to vote in the Democratic

Presidential Preference Primary is January 27^th. All applications postmarked by January 20^th will be processed for voting in the Republican Presidential Preference Primary.  All applications postmarked by January 27^th will be processed for voting in the Democratic Presidential Preference Primary.

In General Election years, 17 year-olds, who will be 18 prior to the November General Election can register to vote and cast a ballot in one of the Presidential Preference Primaries, the June Primaries, and the General Election. The Primary Elections are considered a selection process to choose the candidates for the November ballot. Since a 17-year-old, who will be 18 by the date of the General Election can cast a ballot in the General Election, they are entitled to participate in the selection process through the primaries.

Registered voters 65 or older, or those with a disability may request to vote absentee-by-mail. A ballot can be requested for each election within the coming calendar year. The voter, or a member of the voter’s immediate family, may make the request. Once we receive the request, application forms will be mailed to the voter for each election. The forms must be signed, by the voter, and returned to our office. Once the ballot has been finalized, it will be mailed automatically. This is normally 6 to 8 weeks prior to an election. A voter can also vote absentee in the Voter Registration & Elections Office approximately 4 to 6 weeks before an election.

To qualify to vote by absentee ballot, you must have a qualifying reason. Several reasons are:

• Voters over 65 years of age.
• Students attending school outside of the Greenwood area that will not be in

the county on the day of the election.

• Voters who will be on vacation outside of Greenwood County.
• Employment – voters who will be working from 7:00 AM until 7:00 PM or who will be outside of Greenwood County during these hours.
• Voters with physical disabilities.
• Voters in the military that will be outside of Greenwood County on Election Day.

To inquire if you qualify for absentee voting, simply call our office. If you have questions

or require assistance in the absentee voting process, our staff will be happy to assist you.

Election results will be available on the Greenwood County site www.greenwoodsc.gov

under the elections link on the home page.

The Greenwood County Voter Registration & Elections Office is located at 600

Monument Street, Park Plaza Building, Suite 113. Out office hours are 8:30 AM – 5:00 pm Monday – Friday. The phone number is 942-8585.