Absentee Voting on Record Pace in S.C.

If absentee voters continue voting at the pace they are now, South Carolina could see a record turnout in this presidential election, State Election Commission spokesman Chris Whitmire said.

The number of absentee voters involved in the process at this point in the election is "15 to 20 percent higher" than it was in 2012, Whitmire said. More than 193,000 absentee voting applications have been requested and 140,170 ballots have been issued. Of the ballots issued, more than 48,000 have been returned with fewer than three weeks remaining until the Nov. 8 election. In 2012, approximately 400,000 absentee ballots were cast.

Most ballots have been issued by mail — 93,480, which is more than double the 41,577 ballots issued in-person. Greenville County voters have requested the third highest amount of applications — 16,025 — and received the third highest amount of absentee ballots — 11,279 — in the state, behind Richland and Charleston counties in both categories.

If this pattern continues, Whitmire said the commission anticipates a record turnout for the presidential election.

People can vote absentee via mail, requesting an application, returning an application, receiving a ballot and submitting a ballot all through the postal service. Those four steps can also be consolidated into one trip to County Square, the central in-person absentee voting location for Greenville County. Voters can preview their ballot through a tool on the S.C. State Election commission's website, scvotes.org.