South Carolina voters head to the polls tomorrow for a primary that will choose nominees for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and dozens of local offices, many of which touch the Charlotte region. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and county results are expected to start posting once precincts report after voting ends. With Gov. Henry McMaster term-limited and a crowded field vying to replace him, the contest has already drawn unusually strong early interest across the state.
What To Know At The Polls
The early voting window ran from May 26 through June 5. Rules for Election Day hours, photo ID requirements and absentee deadlines are laid out by the South Carolina Election Commission. Local reporting showed a surge in early turnout, including one day of in-person voting that set a new single-day record with roughly 55,000 ballots cast, a bump local outlets tied to last-minute redistricting battles and mobilization efforts. The State documented those first-day totals and the context behind them.
Governor Race Snapshot
The open governor's race drew a large field. County and party guides showed about a dozen names expected on primary ballots as of early June, with Republicans including Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman and Attorney General Alan Wilson, and Democrats such as state Rep. Jermaine Johnson and Mullins McLeod. The Berkeley County Republican Party's voter guide explains which candidates remain active, which withdrew and which names may still appear on printed ballots after campaign changes. Berkeley County Republican Party and local outlets also note that the state GOP decertified Jacqueline Hicks DuBose after a bounced filing-fee payment and that state Sen. Josh Kimbrell withdrew from the race before Primary Day, while their names may still appear on some precinct ballots. WYFF reported the decertification and the party's guidance on how those votes are handled.
Why Charlotte-Area Voters Should Watch
Charlotte's television market reaches four South Carolina counties: Chester, Chesterfield, Lancaster and York. That means many of the races on South Carolina ballots have a direct impact on suburbs and exurbs that rely on Charlotte-based media for political coverage. A late redistricting debate in Columbia, combined with higher-than-usual early turnout, has raised the stakes in several congressional and statehouse primaries tied to the Charlotte region. AP covered the redistricting fight and its role in driving voters to the polls early.
How To Follow Results
Official county-by-county returns are scheduled to begin posting once precincts report after 7 p.m., according to the South Carolina Election Commission. For a Charlotte-focused view, local outlets are running race trackers, and WBTV will update results for statewide and Charlotte-area contests as precincts report. Voters can check the state results portal for official tallies and turn to WBTV's live tracker for how those numbers play out across the Charlotte region.
