Absentee voting has been a hot topic in recent past elections mainly over a topic which some call “voter harvesting.”
We are not here today to take up that issue, but rather the issue of making your voice heard in the upcoming election during COVID-19.
This is not an endorsement of casting absentee ballots, but rather pointing out the option to those who are eligible (in compliance with the rules) to cast an absentee ballot.
It is not unreasonable to be apprehensive about going to a crowded, public place such as a poll, especially if you are in one of the high risk groups for COVID-19. It is also not unreasonable to want to be able to cast your vote and make your voice heard in the upcoming elections.
That is where absentee ballots can play a role for those who meet one of the reasons to vote absentee as outlined by the S.C. Election Commission.
According to www.scvotes.org, those people qualified to vote by absentee ballot:
• Persons sixty-five years of age or older
• Persons who are physically disabled (includes illnesses and injuries)
• Persons attending sick or physically disabled persons
• Persons who plan to be on vacation outside their county of residence on Election Day
• Persons who for reasons of employment will not be able to vote on election day
• Persons confined to a jail or pre-trial facility pending disposition of arrest or trial
• Students attending school outside their county of residence and their spouses and dependents residing with them
• Persons with a death or funeral in the family within three days before the election
• Certified poll watchers, poll managers, and county election officials working on Election Day
• Persons serving as a juror in state or federal court on Election Day
• Persons admitted to the hospital as emergency patients on Election Day or within a four-day period before the election
• Members of the Armed Forces or Merchant Marine serving outside their county of residence and their spouses and dependents residing with them.
• Persons serving with the American Red Cross or with the United Service Organizations (USO) who are attached to and serving with the Armed Forces outside their county of residence and their spouses and dependents residing with them
• Overseas Citizens
• Government employees serving outside their county of residence on Election Day and their spouses and dependents residing with them
If you meet one of these reasons and you feel that you want to cast an absentee ballot, you have every right to do so if you are a properly registered voter.
If you want to request an absentee ballot to be mailed to your home, call the Dillon County Voter Registration Office at 843-774-1403. Then, you just follow the instructions when you receive it and mail it back.
It’s just that simple to cast your vote in the upcoming election, and remember, every vote counts. Make your voice heard in the June 9th primary.