Voters on Nov. 3 will decide several key races in South Carolina, including every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and S.C. House of Representatives. A pivotal U.S. Senate seat and the governor’s office are also on Palmetto State ballots.
With election day fast approaching, voters still have until Saturday to vote early, an option more than half a million South Carolinians have already opted for. Early voting for the 2026 midterm elections began Oct. 19, and as of 5 p.m. Oct. 27, nearly 619,000 mail-in and early in-person votes had been cast.
That number broke the previous record set in 2022, when about 562,000 voters cast a ballot ahead of election day during the entire early voting period. About 239,000 of those ballots were cast during the first week of early voting in 2022, according to the state election commission.
“Early voting has been very popular here in Charleston County,” said Isaac Cramer, executive director of the Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections. “It has been popular since it was first instituted in 2022. … People are liking the convenience of voting early, and as more and more voters experience that, I expect it to become the new mode of casting a ballot.”
This year’s early voting turnout as of Oct. 27 represents about 17% of the state’s 3.7 million registered voters.
On this year’s ballot
South Carolinians are deciding several key statewide elections in this year’s midterms.
S.C. Governor
South Carolina is set to have a new governor for the first time in nearly a decade as S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster is term-limited. Instead, those vying for the office are Republican Alan Wilson, the current attorney general; Democratic nominee Jermaine Johnson, a member of the S.C. House; Green Party candidate Walid Hakim and United Citizens Party candidate Michael Addison.
A recent poll put Wilson at a double-digit lead only a week away from Election Day, with 51% of voters saying they are likely to vote or have already voted for Wilson, compared to Johnson’s 41%.
U.S. Senate
The summer death of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a longtime S.C. Republican leader nationally, flipped the 2026 U.S. Senate race on its head. The late senator’s sister, sitting U.S. Sen. Darline Graham is going head-to-head with Democratic candidate Annie Andrews. According to recent polling from the S.C. Policy Council, the two are locked in a neck-and-neck race.
Pollsters point to voters’ lack of familiarity with Graham as fuel for the competitive race. Meanwhile, Andrews has been courting voters and rolling out big-name endorsements from former S.C. governors, including David Beasley, a Republican, and Jim Hodges, a Democrat.
U.S. House District 1
With U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., opting not to run for reelection to make a since-failed bid for the governor’s seat, the U.S. House seat for District 1 is up for grabs. Republican Jenny Honeycutt and Democratic nominee Nancy Lacore are the two major party candidates vying for the seat in one of the state’s most closely watched races.
The First Congressional District was long considered a Republican holdout until it was flipped blue in 2020 by Democratic candidate Joe Cunningham. Mace took the seat back for Republicans in 2022.
Honeycutt enters the final week with a slight advantage in poll numbers, but Lacore’s military background and firm focus on affordability have made the race competitive.
Attorney General
With Wilson leaving the office behind in a bid for the governor’s chair, Democratic candidate Richard Hricik of Mount Pleasant and Republican David Stumbo of the Upstate are competing for the vacant seat. The two are often considered to have different approaches to public safety, law enforcement and consumer protection.
Voters are choosing a leader for the office for the first time in 16 years. Wilson’s successor will oversee the state’s legal priorities and play a leadership role in coordinating with prosecutors and law enforcement agencies across South Carolina. They will also oversee the state’s handling of high-profile legal matters, including proceedings related to the Alex Murdaugh case, which has drawn national attention and continued scrutiny through retrial proceedings.
Secretary of State
Democratic candidate Jason Belton is seeking to unseat incumbent Secretary of State Mark Hammond, a Republican. Belton is running on a platform to “restore election integrity” and bring “accountable leadership at the ballot.” The secretary of state, however, has nothing to do with ballot security. But Belton wants the office to change its priorities and responsibilities.
A seven-term incumbent, Hammond ran unopposed on the Republican side, and he said he would welcome changes to the office’s responsibilities. But, he said, he doesn’t think the state legislature would go for the proposed amendment.
Other offices up for election
Voters will also decide on several county-level offices, including probate judge; register of deeds; soil and water commissioner; Charleston County Council members in Districts 1, 2, 5, 8 and 9; Charleston County school board trustees in Districts 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9; and more.
Visit charlestoncitypaper.com for previous election coverage, including breakdowns of candidates for individual districts, survey responses from candidates, endorsements and more.
On voting
Early voting ends Oct. 31. Voting centers are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Charleston County voters can vote early at any of the following early voting locations:
- Charleston County Board of Voter Registration and Elections. 4340 Corporate Road. North Charleston.
- James Island Baxter-Patrick Library. 1858 S. Grimball Road. James Island.
- Seacoast Church. 750 Long Point Road. Mount Pleasant.
- St. Paul’s Hollywood Library. 5130 S.C. Highway 165. Hollywood.
- Greater Macedonia AME Church. 725 Savage Road. West Ashley.
- Morris Brown AME Church. 13 Morris st. Downtown.
- St. John’s Episcopal Church. 3673 Maybank Highway. Johns Island.
Voting centers are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
On election day, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 3. Voters can vote at their polling place, based on their address. You can find your polling place at scvotes.gov.
“Voting is not just a right, but it’s an important way to exercise your voice to be heard,” Cramer said. “Regardless of what you believe — or how you feel about the direction we’re headed locally, nationally — everything is on the ballot. This is something we should all be proud to do.”
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