Tips on Oct. 8th voter registration deadline for municipal elections

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — September is National Voter Registration Month, and the October 8th deadline to register to vote in South Carolina’s municipal elections on November 7th is quickly approaching.

Two-hundred local elections will take place across South Carolina on November 7th.

But if you plan on stepping up to the ballot box, John Catalano with the SC Election Commission says first, make sure you’re registered and double check your address.

“Ninety-five percent of the issues that happen on Election Day — they could be solved ahead of time if voters would make sure that voters are registered to vote and are registered to vote at the right address,” Catalano says.

There are more ways to register than ever before. Catalano says the easiest way is online at www.scvotes.gov.

“Pop on to sc votes.gov, you can get registered to vote there in less than five minutes. But if internet is not your thing, you can also go to your county voter registration office to register to vote, you can go to register to vote while receiving services at the DMV, you can register by mail, so, I’d say the easiest thing to do is to go to scvotes.gov and you can see all the ways to register,” Catalano says.

Early voting is also now an option in South Carolina. Catalano says don’t be intimidated by it — the only difference is you’ll be voting at your county office or early voting center, and as usual you will need a form of i.d. – i.e. a  license, DMV i.d. card, or Passport.

“Bring that with you when you go vote, and that’s it! You’ll check in, get a paper ballot, and vote on the voting system just like you normally would at your polling place on Election Day,” says Catalano.

The Election Commission is encouraging everyone to be prepared before you vote.

“You can also prep by checking your sample ballot ahead of time so you know who you’re going in to vote for, it’s not going to be a surprise to you when you go vote. And if you’re voting on Election Day, make sure you’re checking your polling place before you go vote so you know you’re going to the right location. Polling places can change from election to election,” says Catalano.

And if you’ve moved from one county to another, the SC Election Commission says you must register in your new county by October 8th to be eligible to vote.

For a list of upcoming elections, visit the SC Election Commission’s website here.