Early voting opens in Greenville County with two sites in Simpsonville

Golden Strip voters who want to skip the Election Day lines can head to the polls starting today. In-person early voting for the Nov. 3 statewide general election began Monday, Oct. 19, and runs through Saturday, Oct. 31.

Early voting sites across Greenville County are open Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and are closed Sunday. No excuse is needed to vote early, and any registered voter in Greenville County may cast a ballot at any of the county’s early voting locations, regardless of where they live.

For residents of Fountain Inn, Mauldin and Simpsonville, two of the seven sites are right in the neighborhood:

Cedar Grove Missionary Baptist Church (Gym), 206 Moore St., Simpsonville

Greenville County Library, Five Forks Branch, 104 Sunnydale Drive, Simpsonville

The remaining early voting sites are:

McAlister Square (Back Entrance), 225 S. Pleasantburg Drive, Greenville

Mt. Pleasant Community Center, 710 S. Fairfield Road, Greenville

Praise Cathedral (Family Life Center), 3375 Brushy Creek Road, Greer

Greenville Tech Northwest Campus, 8109 White Horse Road, Greenville

City of Greenville Public Works, 475 Fairforest Way, Greenville

Fountain Inn residents who live in the Laurens County portion of the city will vote early in Laurens County rather than Greenville County. Laurens County has one early voting site for the general election, the Laurens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections office at 105 Bolt Drive, Suite B, in Laurens. It follows the same statewide schedule, Monday through Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. Residents who are unsure which county they are registered in can check their voter registration at scvotes.gov.

Voters should note that early voting sites are not the same as their regular polling places. Those who wait until Election Day must vote at their assigned precinct, where polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

South Carolina requires voters to show a photo ID at the polls. Accepted forms include a South Carolina driver’s license, a South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles ID card, a South Carolina voter registration card with a photo, a federal military ID or a U.S. passport. Voters who arrive without a photo ID may cast a provisional ballot, which will count only if they present their ID to the county elections office before the election is certified. Voters who are unable to obtain a photo ID may still vote a provisional ballot by presenting their non-photo voter registration card and signing an affidavit stating the reason they could not get one.

Voters who qualify to vote absentee by mail have a firm deadline approaching. Absentee ballot applications must be received by 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23. Greenville County voters can reach the absentee department of the Greenville County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 864-467-7264. Laurens County voters should contact the Laurens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections at 864-984-4431.

Before heading out, voters can check their registration status, view a sample ballot and confirm their Election Day precinct through the South Carolina Election Commission at scvotes.gov. Questions about early voting can be directed to the Greenville County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 864-467-7250 or the Laurens County Board of Voter Registration and Elections at 864-984-4431.