Three Lancaster County precincts will vote at new locations Tuesday in the special Republican primary for U.S. Senate because school is back in session and the usual polling sites are unavailable.
Voters in the Possum Hollow and River Road precincts will cast ballots at the Indian Land Annex, 826 Charlotte Highway. Harrisburg precinct voters will report to Pleasant Hill Methodist Church, 238 Fort Mill Highway.
All other Lancaster County precincts vote at their regular locations. Polls are open until 7 p.m.
Why the sites changed
The three moves are tied to the start of the school year. Election officials across South Carolina routinely shift polling places out of school buildings when classes are in session, and the changes here apply to Tuesday’s election.
Voters who are unsure where to go can look up their assigned precinct and polling place through the state Election Commission at scvotes.gov before heading out Tuesday morning.
| Possum Hollow | Indian Land Annex | 826 Charlotte Highway |
| River Road | Indian Land Annex | 826 Charlotte Highway |
| Harrisburg | Pleasant Hill Methodist Church | 238 Fort Mill Highway |
What is on the ballot
Ten Republicans are competing to replace the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on the November general election ballot, according to The Associated Press. The field includes two sitting members of Congress, a former governor and Graham’s sister, who now holds the seat by appointment.
Lindsey Graham won the June 9 Republican primary for renomination to the seat he first won in 2002. His death on July 11 from an aortic tear left two vacancies at once, the AP reported. One was the Senate seat itself. The other was his place on the November ballot as the party’s nominee for another full term.
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed the senator’s sister, Darline Graham, to serve out the remaining months of the current term. She has President Donald Trump’s endorsement in her bid to become the new Republican nominee, according to the AP.
Among those running against her are U.S. Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman, former Gov. Mark Sanford and business owner Mark Lynch, who challenged Lindsey Graham in the June 9 primary.
If no candidate wins a majority Tuesday, the two candidates with the most votes advance to a special primary runoff on Aug. 25. The Republican nominee will face Democrat Annie Andrews, a Charleston pediatrician who ran against U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace in the 2022 general election.
Who can vote Tuesday
South Carolina voters do not register by party, but participation in one party’s June primary carries a restriction. Anyone who voted in the June 9 Democratic primary cannot vote in Tuesday’s special Republican primary, the AP reported. Voters who cast a Republican ballot in June, and voters who sat out both primaries, are eligible.
Statewide, there were roughly 3.4 million registered voters as of Friday, the AP reported, and about 42,000 ballots had already been cast in the special primary. About 465,000 voters took part in the June 9 Republican Senate primary. Turnout fell to roughly 319,000 for the June 23 Republican runoff for governor.
Early and mail voting accounted for about 29 percent of the ballots cast in the June 9 Republican primary.
When results are expected
Nearly all of South Carolina’s 46 counties release all or almost all of their early in person and mail ballots in the first results update of the night, before any Election Day totals appear, according to the AP.
In the June 9 primary, the AP first reported results 22 minutes after polls closed and posted its final update of the night at 12:19 a.m. with more than 99 percent of the vote counted.
State law requires an automatic recount when the margin between the winner and the runner up is 1 percent of the total vote or less.
If a runoff is required, it will be held Aug. 25. The general election is Nov. 3.
By ROBERT YOON Associated Press and Thomas Hyslip, YoCo News
Sources: The Associated Press, Lancaster County polling location changes
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
