Democratic Party primaries in South Carolina, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 17
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Primary elections—in which registered voters select a candidate whom they believe should run on their party's ticket in the general election—can reflect internal conflict over the direction of a party.
Heading into the 2018 election, the Democratic Party sought to increase its power at the state and federal levels under the Trump administration. Its membership, however, disagreed on several major policy areas, including healthcare, free trade, education funding, a federal job guarantee, and a proposal to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[1][2]
Candidates endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee won 31 of 33 primaries in 2018.[3] Democratic Socialists of America member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D) primary victory over incumbent Joseph Crowley (D) in New York's 14th Congressional District was a notable victory for progressive activists.[4][5][6]
Democrats also won a U.S. Senate seat in Alabama for the first time in 30 years and flipped longtime Republican seats in the Wisconsin state Senate and Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District. A record number of Republican congressional retirements also led to large Democratic fields for typically non-competitive seats.[7]
This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that took place in South Carolina on June 12, 2018. In addition, the page provides context for understanding the state party apparatus.
Federal elections
U.S. House
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
- James Clyburn (Incumbent) ✔
District 7
State elections
South Carolina Party Control: 1992-2024
No Democratic trifectas • Twenty-two years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election
Democratic primary candidates
Attorney general election
Democratic primary candidates
Secretary of state election
Democratic primary candidates
State party overview
- See also: Democratic Party of South Carolina
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws. The following table displays the Democratic Party of South Carolina's revenue over a six-year period from 2011 to 2016. Revenue totals are broken down by account type and year. The data was compiled through publicly available state and federal campaign finance reports.
| Democratic Party of South Carolina revenue, 2011 to 2016[8][9] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Federal account | State account(s) | Total |
| 2011 | $603,450.94 | $273,838.18 | $877,289.12 |
| 2012 | $873,002.88 | $968,016.68 | $1,841,019.56 |
| 2013 | $1,102,295.15 | $380,148.05 | $1,482,443.20 |
| 2014 | $831,807.94 | --[10] | $831,807.94 |
| 2015 | $618,236.22 | --[10] | $618,236.22 |
| 2016 | $2,660,948.69 | --[10] | $2,660,948.69 |
South Carolina compared to other states
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following maps display total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic and Republican state party affiliates from 2011 to 2016. The blue map displays Democratic state parties and the red map displays Republican state parties. Click on a state below to view the state party's revenue per capita totals:
Total Democratic and Republican state political party revenue per capita in the United States, 2011-2016
Primary election scheduling
South Carolina was one of five states to hold a primary election on June 12, 2018.
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. South Carolina utilizes an open primary system, in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary. Voters must take an oath affirming that they have not voted in another party's primary.[11][12][13][14]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In South Carolina, all polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[15]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To register to vote in South Carolina, one must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the county and precinct where he or she is registering, and at least 18 years old by Election Day. People who have been declared mentally incompetent by court order, are imprisoned, or are still serving a sentence for a felony conviction are ineligible to register to vote.[16] The deadline for registration is 30 days before the election. Prospective voters may register using one of the following methods:
- Online,
- In person at the county board of elections or one of the following locations:
- Armed Forces Recruiting Stations
- Commission for the Blind
- Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services
- Department of Disabilities and Special Needs
- Department of Health and Environmental Control
- Department of Health and Human Services
- Department of Mental Health
- Department of Motor Vehicles
- Department of Social Services
- Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities
- Vocational Rehabilitation Department
- Returning a voter registration form by email, fax, or mail to the county board of voter registration. Note that mailed applications must be postmarked by at least 30 days before the election.[16]
Automatic registration
South Carolina does not practice automatic voter registration.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
South Carolina has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
South Carolina does not allow same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
Prospective voters must be residents of the county and precinct in which they are registering to vote.
Verification of citizenship
South Carolina does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Verifying your registration
The South Carolina Election Commission allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website.
Voter ID requirements
South Carolina requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[15][17]
Voters can present the following forms of identification:
- SC Driver’s License
- SC Department of Motor Vehicles ID Card
- includes SC Concealed Weapons Permit
- SC Voter Registration Card with Photo
- U.S. Passport
- Federal Military ID
- includes all Department of Defense Photo IDs and the Department of Veterans Affairs Benefits Card
Voters can obtain a free photo ID from a local DMV office or a county elections office.[18]
Early voting
South Carolina permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
According to the South Carolina Election Commission's website, only the following types of voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail:[19]
| “ |
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” |
To vote absentee, voters must first request an application for the absentee ballot. Application requests can be made in person, by phone, or by mail. The absentee ballot application must then be completed and returned to the voter's county voter registration office by 5:00 p.m. at least 11 days before Election Day. Once completed, the ballot must be received by the county voter registration office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.[19] According to the South Carolina Election Commission's website, only the following types of voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail:[19]
| “ |
|
” |
To vote absentee, voters must first request an application for the absentee ballot. Application requests can be made in person, by phone, or by mail. The absentee ballot application must then be completed and returned to the voter's county voter registration office by 5:00 p.m. at least 11 days before Election Day. Once completed, the ballot must be received by the county voter registration office by 7 p.m. on Election Day.[19]
See also
| Federal primaries in South Carolina | State primaries in South Carolina | South Carolina state party apparatus | South Carolina voter information |
|---|---|---|---|
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Footnotes
- ↑ CNN, "Why a 'federal jobs guarantee' is gaining steam with Democrats," April 26, 2018
- ↑ The Atlantic, "What ‘Abolish ICE’ Actually Means," July 11, 2018
- ↑ CNBC, "Despite Ocasio-Cortez upset, Democratic primaries have not gone as far left as some argue," June 28, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "There Is a Revolution on the Left. Democrats Are Bracing." July 21, 2018
- ↑ New York Times, "Democrats Are Moving Left. Don’t Panic," July 23, 2018
- ↑ Time, "How Democrats in Congress Responded to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Surprise Win," June 28, 2018
- ↑ CNN, "9 Democratic primaries to watch in 2018," October 26, 2017
- ↑ South Carolina State Ethics Commission, "Public Disclosure and Accountability Reporting," accessed May 2016 (Search terms South Carolina Republican Party and South Carolina Democratic Party)
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate and Committee Viewer," accessed May 2016 (Search terms South Carolina Republican Party and Democratic Party of South Carolina)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Complete financial report is unavailable for this period.
- ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ FairVote,"Primaries," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ South Carolina Election Commission',"Nomination by Political Party," accessed October 25, 2019
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 South Carolina Election Commission, “Voter FAQ,” accessed May 2, 2023
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 South Carolina Election Commission, “Register to Vote,” accessed May 2, 2023
- ↑ Justia, "SC Code § 7-13-710 (2022)," accessed May 2, 2023
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedscvid - ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 South Carolina State Election Commission, "Absentee Voting," accessed May 2, 2023
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
