How South Carolina's Primary Election Works

South Carolina uses an open primary election system. Voters do not register by political party and may choose to participate in either the Republican or Democratic primary, regardless of their political affiliation. However, voters may only participate in one party's primary during the special primary election.

South Carolina requires a candidate to receive a majority of the vote to win a party's nomination. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the special primary, the top two candidates advance to a runoff election. The winner of the runoff becomes the party's nominee for the special general election.