State Election Commission Rules June Democratic Primary Voters Ineligible for Aug. 11 Special Republican Primary
July 15, 2026
Voters who cast a ballot in the June Democratic Primary will not be allowed to vote in the Aug. 11 Special Republican Primary for U.S. Senate, the South Carolina State Election Commission announced Wednesday.
The commission said it has completed a review of state election law regarding voter eligibility for the special primary. Based on that review, voters who participated in the June Republican Primary, and voters who did not vote in either party’s June primary, are eligible to vote Aug. 11. The commission said its determination is based on the requirements of South Carolina election law governing voter participation in political party primaries.
South Carolina does not register voters by party, and its primaries are open to any registered voter. State law prohibits a voter from casting a ballot in more than one party’s primary during the same primary cycle, a restriction that already applied to the June 23 runoffs. The commission’s review applies that same standard to the special primary.
The special primary was set after the death of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham on July 11. Graham had won the Republican nomination for a fifth term in the June 9 primary. Under S.C. Code of Laws Section 7-11-55, the Republican Party must select a replacement nominee through a special filing period and special primary.
Candidate filing opens at noon July 21 and closes at noon July 28. Early voting will be held Aug. 5 through Aug. 7. If no candidate receives a majority Aug. 11, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff Aug. 25. The Republican nominee will face Democrat Annie Andrews and other qualified candidates in the Nov. 3 general election.
The eligibility question arrives as the South Carolina Republican Party pursues a federal lawsuit against the State Election Commission seeking to close party primaries to registered Republicans only. That case does not affect the rules for the Aug. 11 contest.
In Laurens County, early voting will be held at the Laurens County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 105 Bolt Drive, Suite B, in Laurens. The early voting center will be open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 5 through Aug. 7. On Election Day, voters must cast their ballots at their assigned precincts rather than at the Bolt Drive office.
Laurens County voters who are unsure whether they voted a Democratic or Republican ballot in June can check their voter record at scvotes.gov or contact the elections office at (864) 984-4431. Voters must present an acceptable photo ID at the polls, and no campaign materials, including hats, shirts and buttons, are allowed within 500 feet of a polling place.
Sample ballots and polling place information for the special primary will be posted at scvotes.gov.
