Current:Home > MarketsWho can vote in the South Carolina Republican primary election for 2024? -MoneyMatrix
Who can vote in the South Carolina Republican primary election for 2024?
View
Date:2025-04-12 17:56:05
Here are the latest results in the South Carolina GOP primary.
South Carolina allows registered voters — Republicans, Democrats and independents — to participate in any primary of their choosing. But they can only vote in one, not both. Former President Donald Trump railed against South Carolina's 2024 open GOP primary earlier this month as he sought to convince Republicans that he needed them to show up and vote for him in Saturday's election.
"Nikki Haley is pushing Democrats to vote," Trump alleged during a campaign stop in North Charleston, South Carolina. "Which they shouldn't be able to do."
As Trump maintains his grip on the Republican base, Haley, the former ambassador to the United Nations and governor of South Carolina, has looked to independent voters to boost her campaign, making an open primary potentially more beneficial to her than one that allows only registered party members to vote.
Haley reminded supporters in Sumter, South Carolina, on Monday that it's an open primary.
"Anybody can vote in this primary on Saturday as long as you didn't vote in the Democrat primary," she said.
Can registered Democrats vote in the South Carolina primary?
There's no formal party registration in South Carolina. Registered voters may choose which primary to participate in regardless of whether they identify as Democrats, Republicans or independents.
Voters who are registered as Democrats may vote in the Republican primary if they did not already cast a ballot in the Democratic primary on Feb. 3.
Can registered independents vote in the South Carolina primary?
Yes, the primaries are open to all registered South Carolina voters, regardless of party.
Independent voters who did not participate in the Democratic primary earlier this month are eligible to vote in Saturday's Republican primary.
Do you have to be registered to vote to participate in an open primary?
Yes. South Carolina law requires voters to register at least 30 days before an election. Those who want to participate in Saturday's Republican primary had to register by Jan. 25.
Check your voter registration here.
What states have open primaries and why?
States that do not require voters to choose a political party on their voter registration form have open primaries, allowing voters of any affiliation to participate in a primary of any party.
Presidential primaries in South Carolina and 17 other states have partisan primaries with nonpartisan registration, according to Open Primaries, a nonprofit organization that advocates for open and nonpartisan primary elections.
The states with partisan primaries and nonpartisan registration are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Another eight states have open partisan primaries with partisan registration that allow only independent or unaffiliated voters to choose which ballot they want. Those states are Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, West Virginia and Wyoming.
"Most states that have passed open primaries have done so either through the legislature or at the ballot box," Jeremy Gruber, the senior vice president of Open Primaries, told CBS News. "Generally, the motivations for opening the primaries are pretty straightforward. They're a question of fundamental values of fairness and inclusion.
Gruber said states with open primaries have higher voter participation because they do not exclude independent voters. Nearly half of U.S. adults identify as independent, according to Gallup.
"When you exclude the largest group of voters in the country that causes all kinds of problems," Gruber said.
Taurean Small and Nidia Cavazos contributed reporting.
- In:
- South Carolina Primary
- Donald Trump
- Nikki Haley
Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at cbsnews.com and is based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.
TwitterveryGood! (5)
Related
- Trump's 'stop
- Lawmakers who passed a bill to lure nuclear energy to Kentucky say coal is still king
- Are there any perfect brackets left in March Madness? Very few remain after Auburn loss
- United Airlines says federal regulators will increase oversight of the company following issues
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Princess Kate announces she has cancer in video message. What's next for the royal family?
- Airport exec dies after shootout with feds at Arkansas home; affidavit alleges illegal gun sales
- West Virginia governor signs law removing marital assault exemption
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Vermont House passes a bill to restrict a pesticide that is toxic to bees
Ranking
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Vermont House passes a bill to restrict a pesticide that is toxic to bees
- It's not too late! You can still join USA TODAY Sports' March Madness Survivor Pool
- 2 Black officers allege discrimination at police department
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Kremlin says 40 killed and more than 100 wounded in attack on Moscow concert hall
- Infant's death leaves entire family killed in San Francisco bus stop crash; driver arrested
- No. 13 seed Yale stuns SEC tournament champion Auburn in another March Madness upset
Recommendation
House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
Regina King Offers Sweet Gesture to Jimmy Kimmel During Conversation After Her Son's Death
Kate Middleton's Cancer Diagnosis: What to Know
New York State Legislature Votes to Ban CO2 Fracking, Closing a Decade-Old Loophole in State Law
Travis Hunter, the 2
How Kate Middleton Told Her and Prince William's Kids About Her Cancer Diagnosis
Mom drives across states to watch daughters in March Madness games for UNC, Tennessee
Duke does enough to avoid March Madness upset, but Blue Devils know they must be better