YORK COUNTY, S.C. — South Carolina is preparing for both the Democratic presidential primary, on Feb. 3, and the Republican presidential primary, which is on Feb. 24.
Alan Helms, Director of the York County Board of Elections, said by the time of the primary, his team will have already been working for months.
“It takes a couple of months to get everything ready. We have been preparing, mentally preparing for the primaries and all of 2024 since last year,” he said.
WCNC Charlotte anchor Nick Sturdivant asked “What goes into prepping? Especially with these primaries around the corner?”
Helms said “A lot of our jobs -- and any election official across the nation -- most of our jobs are logistics, planning, and making sure we have access to facilities. Then, setting up the voting equipment. (Also) making sure it is ready and functioning properly and testing those devices.”
Helms said there are some things voters need to keep in mind about how the Palmetto State handles primaries.
“In South Carolina, we don’t register by party. So, voters don’t have to change their party affiliation or any of that. Just when they go to the polls during the preference primary just appear on the date that primary is being held,” he said.
However, that means you must choose which primary you want to vote in, because you can only vote in one.
Sturdivant followed up, asking “After the primaries, the focus shifts to early voting and the actual election day in November. Do you take a break and then you start prep work again?"
Helms replied “That’s a great question. The answer is no to that.”
The South Carolina Election Commission’s website lists that voters should make sure to bring their photo ID to their polling place.
Click here for more information ahead of the state presidential primaries.
Contact Nick Sturdivant at nsturdiva1@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.