Monday, October 5th marked the first day of early voting in South Carolina. While there are still a few weeks until election day, there has already been a high turnout throughout the state for individuals opting to vote early.

Some locations like the North Charleston Coliseum have reported quick-moving lines, with some voters saying it took only ten minutes to cast their ballot. However, in Berkeley county, things did not move as swiftly, with some reports saying it took up to two hours to get through the long lines.

In addition to in-person voting, there has also been a surge of interest in mail-in absentee voting. Due to the pandemic, the South Carolina legislature passed a law allowing everyone to vote by absentee ballot. However, it is important to note that the law still requires a witness signature to accompany the ballot.

In Richland County alone, election officials already received 62,000 requests for absentee ballots prior to October 1st. Voters have until October 24th to request a mail-in absentee ballot and must return their ballot in-person or by mail before 7:00 pm on November 3rd.

If you are looking to vote early in the state of South Carolina, click here to find your polling location.