It’s election time, and early voting started this week. You can vote early through June 5. Early voting polls are open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. You can also vote on Election Day on June 9. The polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. You can find your polling place, whether voting early or on June 9, at this link at SCVotes.gov.
For each election, your REALTORS® Association prepares a Voter Guide to help you decide how you will vote. Inside the Voter Guide, you’ll find important information about the voting process and where to vote. We have also listed all the candidates who will be on the ballot.
Will Redistricting Affect Voting?
The short answer is no. On Tuesday, the SC Senate ended debate on redistricting for our state’s seven representatives in the US House until after the June 9 primary election. We think it is unlikely the General Assembly will invalidate a completed election.
How Primary Elections Work
Elections for Congress and SC General Assembly, among others, are partisan, meaning that the candidates are first chosen by a political party before running in the General Election in November.
The two major parties—Democratic and Republican—select their candidates in Primary Elections. In South Carolina, primaries are open to any registered voter. Voters don’t need to be a member of the political party to vote in their primary.
But not all political parties use the primary method. In fact, the primaries are relatively new, only becoming widely used in the early 1970s. Prior to that, the parties chose their candidates in party conventions. “Third parties,” like Libertarian and Green parties, still choose their candidates in conventions.
And that’s why you vote in June and again in November.
REALTORS®, Vote!
More than 90% of Realtors are registered to vote, which is fantastic. But how many of you vote?
We know many people don’t vote because they don’t have good information about the candidates, or where to vote. That’s why we prepare the Voter Guide.
Whether you vote on June 9, or you vote early, your Advocacy Team encourages you to Vote!
Which offices are on the ballot?
These are the offices on the primary ballot:
- SC Governor and Lt. Governor
- SC Secretary of State
- SC Treasurer
- SC Attorney General
- SC Comptroller General
- SC Commissioner of Agriculture
- SC Superintendent of Education
- US Senate
- US House District 3
- SC 13th District Solicitor
- SC House (all districts)
- Anderson County Council (all seats)
- Oconee County Council (districts 1 and 3)
- Pickens County Council (districts 1 and 2)
- Probate Judge (all counties)
You can see the complete list of candidates in our Voter Guide.
Recommendations
An important part of our Advocacy Program is RPAC—the REALTORS® Political Action Committee. Think of RPAC as a joint bank account to which Realtors contribute. RPAC is the primary method by which Realtors help like-minded people successfully run for public office. In the Voter Guide, we highlighted the candidates who have received a campaign contribution from RPAC.
Support RPAC
You can help your industry by supporting RPAC. It’s easy. Your association includes a voluntary contribution to RPAC on your annual dues invoice. Pay it, and you are an RPAC supporter. If you haven’t supported RPAC this year, we encourage you to do so by clicking here.
Addie Patterson and Michael Dey
Government Affairs Team
Western Upstate Association of REALTORS®