26,000 people participated in South Carolina day one. Horry County early voting has begun.

Early voting for the June 9 statewide primary opens today across Horry County, kicking off an 11-day window that will end Friday, June 5. Seven county centers are operating from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. They will be closed Saturdays, Sundays, and state holidays.

The ballot is consequential. South Carolina voters will pick nominees in an open governor’s race for the first time since 2018, choose whether to renominate U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, and select party candidates for six constitutional offices and the U.S. House. With Republican Gov. Henry McMaster term-limited, the gubernatorial primary in particular has drawn a crowded field and no clear front-runner in recent polling.

Horry County early voting is crucial for ensuring that your voice is heard in the upcoming elections.

A registered Horry County voter can use any of the seven local centers — not just the one closest to home. Photo identification is required at every site, the same rule that applies on Election Day.

Importance of Horry County Early Voting

## Where to Vote in Horry County

The seven early voting centers operated by Horry County Voter Registration & Elections are:

– **South Strand Recreation Center** — 9650 Scipio Ln, Myrtle Beach 29588

– **HGTC Conference & Business Center** — 950 Crabtree Ln, Myrtle Beach 29577

– **Carolina Forest Recreation Center** — 2254 Carolina Forest Blvd, Myrtle Beach 29579

– **North Strand Recreation Center** — 120 State Highway 57 S, Longs 29566

– **Loris Public Safety Center** — 3909 Walnut St, Loris 29569

– **Aynor Town Hall** — 600 S. Main St, Aynor 29511

– **Voter Registration & Elections office** — 1515 4th Ave, Conway 29526

According to state guidance posted at scvotes.gov, any registered Horry County voter may cast a ballot at any of these seven locations. A voter who lives in Carolina Forest is not restricted to the Carolina Forest center; a voter in Aynor is free to drive to Conway. That flexibility is the practical advantage of the in-person early voting system South Carolina expanded in 2022.

All seven sites use the same voting equipment voters will encounter on Election Day. There is no separate ballot or process for early voters.

## What’s on the Ballot

The headline contest is the Republican primary for governor, where six candidates are competing for an open seat: Attorney General Alan Wilson, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman, State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, and businessman Rom Reddy. McMaster has endorsed Evette. Former Gov. Nikki Haley and former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows have endorsed Norman.

The Democratic gubernatorial primary is a four-candidate field. Leading candidates include State Rep. Jermaine Johnson, trial attorney William Mullins McLeod Jr., and former gubernatorial chief of staff Billy Webster, alongside additional filed candidates listed on the Horry County sample ballot at scvotes.gov.

Graham, the four-term incumbent, faces a crowded Republican primary, with roughly a dozen challengers on the ballot. Calvin Cowen and Mark Lynch are among the named challengers; Paul Dans suspended his campaign earlier this spring, per the SC Daily Gazette. The Democratic Senate primary is also a multi-candidate field, with Annie Andrews and four other filed candidates competing for the nomination. Voters who want the full slate for either party should pull the sample ballot at scvotes.gov.

Voters will also choose party nominees for Attorney General, Commissioner of Agriculture, Comptroller General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and Superintendent of Education. All of Horry County sits in the 7th Congressional District, where the U.S. House primary also appears on the ballot. Voters who want a full sample ballot for their precinct can pull one at scvotes.gov.

## A Campaign Claim on Day-1 Turnout

Within hours of polls opening, the Nancy Mace for Governor campaign began circulating a turnout figure. Piper Gifford, Press Secretary for Nancy Mace for Governor, said, “We’ve had over 26,000 people early vote today. Record breaking turnout.”

That figure has not been confirmed by the South Carolina Election Commission or by Horry County Voter Registration & Elections, both of which release official turnout totals on their own schedules. The 26,000 number also appears to describe statewide Day-1 voting rather than Horry County alone. Horry County has roughly 250,000 registered voters; a single-day turnout of 26,000 in one county would be far outside any historical pattern for a primary.

Statewide context helps frame the claim. WPDE reported more than 120,000 voters cast early ballots across South Carolina in last year’s primaries. A Day-1 statewide figure in the mid-20,000s would be consistent with a strong opening day on the way to a comparable or larger total, but it is a campaign-sourced count, not a state-verified one.

The South Carolina Election Commission posts official early voting totals later in the week through scvotes.gov. Horry County Voter Registration & Elections releases county-level numbers through its office at 1515 4th Ave. in Conway. Until those numbers are published, the 26,000 figure should be read as the Mace campaign’s claim, not as confirmed turnout.

## What to Bring and Who Can Vote

A photo ID is required at every early voting center. Acceptable forms include a South Carolina driver’s license, a state-issued ID card, a federal military ID, a U.S. passport, or a South Carolina voter registration card with photo. Voters without an accepted photo ID can obtain a free ID from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles or from the county elections office.

Every registered South Carolina voter is eligible to vote early. The state does not require an excuse, a witness, or a notarized affidavit. The 2022 expansion of early voting made universal in-person early voting permanent, and the same rules apply this primary.

South Carolina is an open primary state, but voters cast a ballot in only one party’s primary, not both. A voter who pulls a Republican ballot during early voting cannot then vote in the Democratic primary on June 9, and the reverse holds as well. The choice is made at check-in.

Polls during the early voting window run 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays. All seven Horry County centers will be closed Saturday and Sunday throughout the early voting period.

## What to Watch and What’s at Stake

The Republican governor’s primary is the most competitive race on the ballot. A May 2026 polling aggregate compiled on Wikipedia shows Wilson at 19.6 percent, Evette at 18.9 percent, Norman at 14.8 percent, and Mace at 14.6 percent, with 32.1 percent of likely Republican primary voters undecided. No candidate is near 50 percent in any reliable public poll.

Under South Carolina law, a runoff is required if no candidate exceeds 50 percent of the primary vote. With four candidates clustered in the teens, an undecided share above 30 percent, and two additional candidates pulling at least some support, a runoff between the top two finishers looks likely. That runoff would be held Tuesday, June 23.

The U.S. Senate primary may also draw a runoff if Graham fails to clear a majority against his roughly dozen challengers, though no public polling has shown him under that threshold.

Primary Election Day is Tuesday, June 9, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Vote totals will begin posting after polls close that night, with statewide returns updating into the evening as counties report. A runoff, if one is required in the gubernatorial or Senate primaries, would follow two weeks later on June 23.

Horry County voters who want to confirm their registration status, find their assigned Election Day precinct, or pull a precinct-specific sample ballot can do so at scvotes.gov. The Horry County Voter Registration & Elections office in Conway is available for questions about provisional ballots, photo ID requirements, or accessibility accommodations at any of the seven centers. Official Horry County turnout figures for early voting will be posted later this week by the county elections office and by the South Carolina Election Commission — those numbers, not campaign press releases, are the ones that will tell residents how their neighbors are actually showing up.

## Further Reading

Horry County early voting – South Carolina Election Commission — scvotes.gov

Horry County early voting – Horry County Voter Registration & Elections — horrycountysc.gov/departments/voters-registration-and-elections/

– MyHorryNews — “Early voting set to begin for statewide primaries; where you can plan to vote in Horry County” (May 8, 2026)

Horry County early voting – WMBF — “DECISION 2026: Early voting now underway in South Carolina” (May 26, 2026)

Horry County early voting – WBTV — “Early voting begins for South Carolina primary election: What to know” (May 26, 2026)

Horry County early voting – WPDE — “Early voting begins this week; here are the major races to watch in South Carolina”

Horry County early voting – Post and Courier — “The 2026 South Carolina primary ballots are set” (March 30, 2026)

Horry County early voting – Florence News Journal — “Early voting opens across South Carolina ahead of June 9 statewide primaries

Horry County early voting – Ballotpedia — 2026 South Carolina gubernatorial election

Horry County early voting – Ballotpedia — Horry County Sample Ballot (South Carolina)

Horry County early voting – League of Women Voters Horry County — my.lwv.org/south-carolina/horry-county/upcoming-elections-0