South Carolina voters will now have an additional ten days to register for the upcoming Nov. 5 general election after a judge extended the deadline due to the widespread impacts of Hurricane Helene. The decision follows a lawsuit filed by the S.C. Democratic Party, which argued that the extensive power outages, flooding, and storm damage could hinder voter registration efforts.
Circuit Judge Daniel Coble ruled in favor of the extension, moving the deadline to register in-person from Oct. 4 to Oct. 14. The Democratic Party’s lawsuit emphasized that the storm, which caused significant devastation across the state, made it crucial to provide extra time for residents to ensure their voter registration was complete.
“This isn’t a partisan issue, it’s about protecting the public’s right to vote,” said Charleston attorney Richard Hricik, who represented the Democrats. “When you’re dealing with power outages and storm recovery, registering to vote isn’t going to be the first thing on people’s minds.”
Hricik noted that similar extensions were made after previous storms, such as Hurricane Florence in 2018 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, when voter registration deadlines were extended to allow more time for recovery.
Moye Graham, Chairman of the Clarendon County Republican Party, supported the extension, especially given the storm’s impact in the Upstate. “I’m good with it, mainly due to the damage done in the Upstate and other areas due to Hurricane Helene,” Graham said. “I have friends in Spartanburg that still don’t have power. I don’t know if it will make a significant difference in how many will register in these extra ten days, but I am interested in seeing that number.”
State Senator Kevin Johnson, representing District 36, also backed the decision, recognizing the disruption caused by the hurricane. “Due to the damage and disruption that was caused by the recent hurricane, I agree with the court’s decision to extend the deadline for voter registration,” Johnson stated. “Thankfully, our area did not experience the harsh conditions as other parts of South Carolina, but I think it is important that these deadlines and dates are the same across the state.”
The ruling came after a virtual hearing with attorneys for the state Election Commission, which took a neutral stance on the issue. While the S.C. Republican Party expressed concern about the ruling extending deadlines in unaffected counties, they emphasized their commitment to ensuring voter registration accuracy and maximizing Republican voter turnout before the new deadline.
“We call on our elected officials to make sure there is adequate time to validate and process registration requests,” said S.C. GOP Chairman Drew McKissick. “We’ll be doing everything in our power to register as many Republicans as possible before the new deadline—and get them to the polls on Election Day.”
As Hurricane Helene’s effects continue to linger, South Carolina’s voters have more time to prepare for the upcoming election, a decision that has received both bipartisan support and concern.
