Nearly 6,000 York County voters cast ballots Monday, Oct. 19, on the first day of early voting for the Nov. 3 general election, more than three times the number who voted on the opening day of early voting in the 2022 general election.
The York County total of 5,984 opening day voters also more than doubled the 2,416 who turned out on the first day of early voting for the June 9 primary, according to preliminary figures from the South Carolina Election Commission. It fell short of the 8,858 county voters who cast ballots on the first day of early voting in the 2024 presidential election.
In Lancaster County, 2,861 voters cast early ballots Monday, compared with 921 on the first day of primary early voting, 1,186 on the first day in 2022 and 3,382 on the first day in 2024.
Statewide, 97,968 South Carolinians voted early on Monday. That is up 74 percent from the 56,407 who voted on the primary’s first day of early voting May 26 and 130 percent above the 42,558 who voted on the first day of 2022 general election early voting, Oct. 24, 2022. It is 23 percent below the 126,726 who voted on the first day of early voting in 2024.
York County ranks fifth statewide
York County’s opening day total placed it fifth among South Carolina’s 46 counties, behind Charleston County with 9,389, Greenville County with 9,105, Richland County with 7,757 and Horry County with 7,357. York County voters accounted for about 6.1 percent of all early ballots cast statewide Monday, up from 4.3 percent on the primary’s first day and 4 percent on the first day in 2022. In 2024, York County made up about 7 percent of the statewide opening day vote.
The county’s early vote rose 148 percent over the primary opening day and 250 percent over the 2022 opening day. It was 32 percent lower than the 2024 opening day.
The county is operating six early voting centers this year, double the three it opened for both the June primary and the 2022 general election. The Holiday Inn Rock Hill at Galleria Mall drew the most voters Monday with 1,411, followed by Carolinas Cornerstone with 1,071, Imagine Church with 992, the Fort Mill YMCA at The Complex with 909, the Clinton College Library with 879 and the Fire Training Center of York County with 722.
Fort Mill area voters turned out in larger numbers than they did on opening day four years ago. The 909 voters at the Fort Mill YMCA site compare with 603 who voted on the first day of 2022 early voting at the Fort Mill Community Center, the Banks Street Gym, which was the town’s early voting location that year.
During the June primary, the Holiday Inn Rock Hill site recorded 1,092 opening day voters, Carolinas Cornerstone recorded 952 and the Fire Training Center recorded 372.
Lancaster County triples primary pace
Lancaster County’s 2,861 opening day voters represent a 211 percent increase over the primary’s first day and a 141 percent increase over the first day in 2022. The total was 15 percent below the 2024 opening day.
The Del Webb Library led Lancaster County sites with 1,282 voters, followed by the county Voter Registration and Elections Office with 913, the Indian Land Annex with 519 and Kershaw Second Baptist Church with 147.
The Indian Land Annex, which is new to the early voting lineup since 2022, recorded 519 voters Monday, up from 135 on the primary’s first day. On the first day of early voting in 2022, the Del Webb Library recorded 776 voters and the county elections office recorded 348.
Presidential year sets the high mark
The 2024 general election, with the presidential race at the top of the ballot, remains the high water mark for early voting in both counties. Statewide early voting in 2024 totaled 1,471,663 ballots over 12 days, with York County recording 99,679 and Lancaster County 36,613.
Turnout in 2024 held steady through most of the first week. York County recorded between 8,858 and 9,553 early voters each weekday from Oct. 21 through Oct. 25 that year, before a Saturday dip to 6,687.
This year’s opening day falls between the 2022 midterm and the 2024 presidential election, a pattern consistent with a midterm year ballot drawing stronger early interest than the last midterm but less than a presidential race.
How the numbers compare
The comparisons come with limits. The 2022 and 2024 general elections drew different statewide and national races than this year’s ballot, and primary turnout typically runs lower than general election turnout because voters must choose a single party’s ballot. York County has also added early voting sites since the 2022 general election and the June primary, which gives voters more locations closer to home.
In the June primary, the first day of early voting was the busiest of the two week period both statewide and in York County. Statewide primary early voting totaled 319,367 ballots, including 12,528 in York County and 6,570 in Lancaster County. In 2022, general election early voting statewide grew heavier in the final days, peaking at 70,151 on the second to last day before ending with 561,563 total early voters. York County finished 2022 with 26,544 early voters and Lancaster County with 13,981.
Voters must bring a valid photo ID to vote early. Early voting locations and hours for York and Lancaster counties are listed at scvotes.gov. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Source: South Carolina Election Commission early voting reports for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election (report generated Oct. 20, 2026), the June 9, 2026, primary, the 2024 general election and the 2022 general election.
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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.
