How South Carolina’s Primary Election System Works

South Carolina uses an open primary system, meaning voters do not register with a political party in advance. When voting in a primary election, voters choose which party’s ballot they wish to cast and may only participate in one party’s primary during that election cycle.

Because South Carolina does not have party registration, voters are free to choose a Democratic or Republican primary ballot regardless of how they voted in previous elections. Primary elections determine each party’s nominees for offices such as U.S. Senate, U.S. House, governor, statewide offices, and state and local positions.

If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in a primary election, South Carolina holds a primary runoff election between the top two candidates. The winner of the runoff becomes the party’s nominee for the general election.