Wednesday is voter registration deadline for GOP primary in SC

Any primary voters who were putting off getting registered now have a week less than they thought they would.

On Tuesday, the S.C. Election Commission announced voters planning to cast a ballot in next month’s Republican presidential primay must register by close of business on Wednesday to be placed on the rolls.

Officials initially announced a “universal” deadline of Jan. 27 for new voters to register for both party primaries. Republicans will vote for their presidential nominee on Feb. 20, and Democrats will follow a week later on Feb. 27.

But at the last minute, state officials moved up the deadline for Republican voters to Jan. 20, out of concerns the later deadline wouldn’t satisfy the 30-day requirement for registration forms. The last day for Democrats to register remains Jan. 27.

Anyone who is registering for the first time or needs to update their registration details must do so at their county registration office by close of business Wednesday, by mailing a registration form with a Wednesday postmark or by completing the online form by midnight. Otherwise, those voters won’t have the option of voting in the crowded GOP race.

Voters can only vote in one party’s primary, not both. Voters who haven’t changed their registration since the last election won’t need to register again.

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 6:32 AM with the headline "Wednesday is voter registration deadline for GOP primary in SC."