By james art 
CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – Voters who did not take advantage of early voting in the Palmetto State will be able to vote starting at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Polling stations will be open until 19:00 across the country. Any voter who is in line at 7pm will be eligible to vote.
Click here to check your voter registration.
Click here to find your polling place.
Click here to view a sample newsletter for your precinct.
In the past two weeks, a record number of South Carolinians – just over a million and a half people in person or by mail – voted early. That’s about 46 percent of registered voters in the state. But unlike the early voting period, voters who will vote on Election Day must go to their specific polling places.
Voters must have a valid photo ID to register. Acceptable forms of photo ID include South Carolina Driver’s License, South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles ID, South Carolina Concealed Weapons Permit, South Carolina Photo Voter Registration Card, US Military ID and a United States passport.
READ MORE: Your 2024 General Election Voter’s Guide
If you still have an absentee ballot, the deadline to return it is 7:00 PM on Election Day. Voters are encouraged to return their ballots in person to ensure they are received before the deadline.
The State Board of Elections says if you vote on Tuesday, it’s hard to predict how long you might have to wait in line, although more people usually go in the morning. But they say South Carolina’s strong turnout for early voting should help overall wait times.
Multiple organizations, including the Charleston Regional Transportation Authority, the South Carolina Voter Involvement Coalition and the Charleston International Airport Limousine Association, offer free rides to the polls.
The biggest battle in the 2024 general election is the race for the White House between Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump.
But for the Lowcountry, the U.S. congressional races will decide who represents the state’s First, Sixth and Seventh Districts.
In the First District, which includes parts of Berkeley and Beaufort counties, as well as parts of Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester and Jasper counties, incumbent Republican Nancy Mays hopes to retain her seat as she takes on Democrat Michael Moore.
Democrat Jim Clyburn, first elected to represent the Sixth Congressional District in 1992, is being challenged by Republican Duke Buckner and three others. This district covers all or part of South Carolina’s 14 counties, including all of Williamsburg County and parts of Charleston, Colleton, Dorchester, Jasper, and Orangeburg counties.
South Carolina’s 7th Congressional District, which covers all or part of eight counties, including Georgetown County, features a battle for votes between incumbent Congressman Russell Frye, a Republican; and challenger Mal Hyman, a Democrat.
Low-state voters will also elect the state’s Ninth Circuit Solicitor, the top prosecutor for the state’s Ninth Circuit. Incumbent Republican Scarlett Wilson is being challenged by Democrat David Osborne. The Ninth Circuit covers Berkeley and Charleston counties.
Two other Lowcountry attorney candidates are unopposed. Attorney David Pascoe, a Democrat, is running unopposed in the First District, which covers Calhoun, Orangeburg and Dorchester counties. In the Fourteenth District, which covers Allendale, Colleton, Hampton, Beaufort and Jasper counties, Republican Duffy Stone is also running unopposed.
In six Lowcountry counties, voters will decide who will be sheriff. In Charleston County, incumbent Democrat Christine Graziano is being challenged by Republican Carl Ritchie, the former Mount Pleasant police chief. In Colleton County, Buddy Hall, Republican; is facing a challenge from Democrat Alyssa Bodison. Dorchester County Deputy Sheriff Sam Richardson, Republican; hopes to defeat Democratic challenger Charles Frederick III. And in Georgetown County, incumbent Republican Carter Weaver is battling Democrat Birt Adams for the seat.
Incumbent Democratic Sheriffs Leeroy Ravenel of Orangeburg County and Stephen Gardner of Williamsburg County are running unopposed.
Most coroner’s races involve one candidate. But in Charleston County, Democratic challenger Frank Broccolo is hoping to unseat Republican incumbent Bobby Joe O’Neill.
In Charleston County, incumbent Democratic County Treasurer Mary Tinkler is hoping to retain her seat against Republican challenger Mike Van Horn.
The election includes dozens of South Carolina state House races, as well as Lowcountry County Council and School Board members.
In South Carolina, members of the House of Representatives serve two-year terms, while members of the Senate serve four-year terms. But in this year’s election, every seat in both houses will be up for re-election.
All South Carolina voters will also decide whether the state constitution should be amended to bar non-citizens from voting in the state.
Voters in different counties may face additional ballot questions. One of the most watched ballot questions will likely come before Charleston County voters, who will decide whether to renew a half-cent transportation sales tax that would generate nearly $5 billion for road projects, including the completion of the expansion project Mark Clark, and $432 million for green belt projects.
Polling stations will close at 7 p.m. across the country. Ballot counting won’t begin until then, though State Election Commission officials are confident all statewide races will be decided by the end of the evening.
Copyright 2024 WCSC. All rights reserved.