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: L2 Data · Updated August 15, 2026
South Carolina Voter Registration
& Party Affiliation Statistics
Total Registered
3,486,071
Most Active Primary Party
Republican (48.74%)
Independent / NPP
10.27%
Primary Type
Open Primary
At a Glance
South Carolina at a Glance
Key voter registration statistics · Updated 2026
Registered Voters
3,486,071
across 46 counties
Independent / NPP
358.0K
10.27% of registered
2024 Turnout
62.3%
of eligible voters
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.
Democratic41.0%
Republican48.7%
Independent10.3%
Other0.0%
| Party | Registered Voters | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
Democratic | 1,428,967 | 41.0% |
Republican | 1,699,116 | 48.7% |
Independent | 357,988 | 10.3% |
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.
votercount.aiNew · Betain collaboration with L2 Data
The numbers above are just the start.
Ask the voter file anything — in plain English — and get real answers back, not a spreadsheet.
Compare Gen Z and Boomer party registration in Florida.
Gen Z is far more likely to register Non-Partisan than Boomers — it’s their single largest category.
Party registration · Florida
Share of each generation
Republican
Boomers44.8%
Gen Z30.6%
Non-Partisan
Boomers20.4%
Gen Z33.5%
Democratic
Boomers32.3%
Gen Z30.3%
Boomers lean heavily Republican — nearly 45% are registered Republican, the dominant party by a wide margin.Gen Z is far more likely to be Non-Partisan (33.5%) than Boomers (20.4%).
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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 |
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