The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the South Carolina Elections Commission (SEC) announced an agreement on how to handle overseas and military votes ahead of the Aug. 11 special Republican primary for U.S. Senate.
The Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) establishes voting protections for military and overseas citizens. Newly released guidelines from the DOJ and SEC detail how to handle UOCAVA ballots.
The agreement mandates the SEC will notify UOCAVA voters about the special election and any potential runoffs by July 24. Counties where UOCAVA voters request a ballot must send them no later than Aug. 1. Those ballot materials must be filled out and returned to election officials no later than 7 p.m. Aug. 11.
Additionally, the SEC will send a report to the DOJ outlining when ballots were sent out to UOCAVA voters and when they were received.
The same voter eligibility still applies to UOCAVA voters. So, anyone who voted in the Democratic primary may not cast a ballot in the special election.
