What are the Statewide Primary Elections?
Primaries are elections that political parties (Democrat / Republican) use to select their candidates for the general election. A primary is necessary when multiple candidates from the same political party file to run for the same office.  The primary elections are for state and local partisan races (State house, Senate, Solicitor, Sheriff, Auditor, etc).

South Carolina is an open primary state, what does that mean?
South Carolina does not have voter registration by party (Republican/Democrat/Independent).  An open primary is when a voter of any affiliation may vote in the primary of any party. When you vote, you’ll be asked which party you want to vote in the primary (Republican or Democrat). You can vote in only one party’s primary (you cannot vote in both party primaries). This does not impact how you decide to vote in the General Election in November. In Nov. you’ll have the option to vote “straight party” or select the candidates you want to vote for across party lines. 

Your Primary ballot may not include all offices up for Election in 2026.
Local, state and federal offices are all on the ballot in 2026, but not every race has a primary election. Only offices where more than one candidate running in their party (Democrat or Republican) will appear on the primary ballot. There will be more races to vote on in November that are contested (a Democrat running against a Republican) but because they are the only two that filed to run from their party - there is no primary race. Additionally, local & municipal nonpartisan races do not participate in primaries but may be on your ballot this November.  

Why is voting in the Primaries important?
Depending where you live, some Primary elections ARE the election. This means in these races, candidates from only one party filed to run for that seat. Because of this, the election for that seat will be decided in the June Primary - there will be no election for that seat on the November ballot. 

Some 17 year olds are eligible to vote in the primaries.
If you’re 17 years old and will be 18 years old on or before the General Election (November 3, 2026) and are already registered to vote before the Primary voter registration deadline, you can vote in the State Primaries this June! Note: the voter registration deadline to vote in the June Primaries has passed.

How do I decide what party to vote in the Primaries?
You’re the voter and YOU get to decide. In some cases, there may only be one party option (R or D) to vote in the Primary. You may live where there is only 1 race with one party on your ballot (Democrat, for example) but there are 5-6 races on the other party ballot (Republican in this example). While you can only vote in one party primary - how you vote and for which party is your choice. While it will be public record which party primary you voted in, WHO you voted for will never be public record. 

Does how I vote in the Primaries impact how I vote in November?
No. If you decide to vote in the Republican Primary in June (for example) but decide you want to vote straight ticket Democrat in November OR vote between both parties in November you are able to do that. 

Why should I care about State Legislature races if I don’t have anyone on my ballot?
SC State Legislature (much like City Councils or School Boards) is a team sport. No one legislator has all the power to make laws/decisions on policies and not one chamber of the Legislature (the House or Senate) have all the power to make laws/decisions. Everyone in both chambers have to work together. 

All laws and priorities they decide on together - impact everyone across the state - these are state laws and policies. So, while it is important to vote for and hold your district representatives accountable while in office, we also need to ensure our friends, families and communities are doing their part too.