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 eligible 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, a three-day window rather than the standard early voting period. 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.
Voters in Simpsonville, Mauldin and the Greenville County portion of Fountain Inn should expect changes at the polls. Greenville County will operate a single early voting center at McAlister Square on South Pleasantburg Drive, and Election Day polling locations will be consolidated because Aug. 11 falls on the first day of school and more than 50 school buildings will not be available, according to reporting by WSPA. Fountain Inn residents who live on the Laurens County side of the city should contact the Laurens County Voter Registration and Elections Office.
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.
Voters who are unsure whether they voted a Democratic or Republican ballot in June can check their voter record at scvotes.gov or contact their county voter registration office. Voters must present an acceptable photo ID at the polls. Sample ballots and polling place information will be posted at scvotes.gov.
