Primary Rules
How South Carolina's Primary Works
South Carolina uses a Open Primary system
Open Primary
Any registered voter can vote in any party's primary, regardless of their own party affiliation or registration status.
Registration counts: Voter Count · Updated November 3, 2026
South Carolina Voter Registration
& Party Affiliation Statistics
Total Registered
3,516,389
Most Active Primary Party
Republican (49.08%)
Independent / NPP
10.21%
Primary Type
Open Primary
All data provided by
(opens votercount.ai in a new tab)The only AI tool connected to L2’s industry-leading national voter file.
Ask about any county, age group, or district in South Carolina, in plain English, and get answers in seconds.
At a Glance
South Carolina at a Glance
Key voter registration statistics · Updated 2026
Registered Voters
3,516,389
across 46 counties
Independent / NPP
358.9K
10.21% of registered
2024 Turnout
62.3%
of eligible voters
16.45% of voters in Berkeley County have no modeled party lean, compared with 10.21% across South Carolina. That's the highest share of any South Carolina county with at least 50,000 voters. South Carolina doesn't register voters by party, so these figures are modeled.
Answered directly from the voter file with Voter Count
Primary Participation
Primary Ballot Participation by Party
South Carolina does not register voters by party. The breakdown below is modeled from recent primary ballot history.
Democratic40.7%
Republican49.1%
Independent10.2%
Other0.0%
| Party | Registered Voters | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
Democratic | 1,431,471 | 40.7% |
Republican | 1,726,014 | 49.1% |
Independent | 358,904 | 10.2% |
Other | 0 | 0.0% |
Note: South Carolina does not collect party affiliation at voter registration. These figures are modeled from L2 voter-file analysis of which primary ballot each voter pulled in recent cycles — they reflect primary participation, not party registration.
Turnout
Voter Turnout in South Carolina
How many eligible South Carolina residents actually vote?
Recent Elections
| Election | Turnout | Voted |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 General | 62.3% | 2,566,404 |
| 2022 General | 42.8% | 1,718,626 |
| 2020 General | 64.7% | 2,533,010 |
| 2024 Presidential Primary | 21.3% | 751,580 |
| 2024 State Primary | 12.5% | 439,000 |
Independent voters deserve a voice.
Join thousands of Americans fighting for nonpartisan election reform. Get data-driven updates, not partisan spin.
Explore Other States
All data provided by
(opens votercount.ai in a new tab)The only AI tool connected to L2’s industry-leading national voter file.
Ask about any county, age group, or district in South Carolina, in plain English, and get answers in seconds.