South Carolina voter registration deadline approaching

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Zachary Black is ready for the South Carolina primary, but that can’t be said for every resident of the Palmetto State.

“I was just always told, ‘Zach, you better register!’ My mom always told me to register, so I just registered,” Black said.

According to SCVotes, more than 3 million people are registered to vote, leaving around 40% of the population unregistered for the election.

This year’s polls will see members of Congress in both the Senate and House, state representatives, the governor and state cabinet positions.

Even if some of these races feel unfamiliar, Conway Belangia, executive director with the State Election Commission, said they can have the biggest impact on everyday life.

“All these people that are elected have a purpose. President of the United States, that’s at a whole higher level, but these local people really affect what you do day in and day out—the road you drive on, the schools your children and grandchildren attend. All of those things are affected by the local officials,” Belangia said.

Belangia said poll workers are needed to keep the voting process running smoothly.

“Help us by serving as a poll worker. Please participate in this government process. Without elections, we don’t elect governments, without poll workers, we can’t conduct elections. Poll workers are an integral part of what we need to do to make sure our election process is 1. Robust and 2. Without any problems. We expect people to do their best out there and serve the public,” Belangia said.

The deadline for in-person registration is Friday, May 8. Voters can still register through email, fax or web on SCVotes.gov by May 10 before midnight.

If registration is sent by mail, it must be postmarked by May 11. With changes at the post office, voters will need to go in and make sure the date is hand-stamped.

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