Are your college-age kids ready to vote?

This fall parents across the country prepared their young adult children to head to college. Bank accounts arranged, housing set up, books bought and many other necessities were fulfilled in order for them to live away from home.

But did they pack their voter registration cards?

It is estimated that across the country there will be 16 million first-time voters for the 2024 General Election – and many of those will be living away from home at college.

To vote in South Carolina, state law requires a person to register to vote at least 30 days prior to an election.

Here are the upcoming deadlines:

• Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. – Deadline to register to vote in-person at Berkeley County Voter Registration & Elections Office, 1003 Highway 52 in Moncks Corner.
• Oct. 6 at 11:59 p.m. -  Deadline to register to vote online scvotes.gov;  by email at webvre@berkeleycountysc.gov; or by fax: 843-719-4060.
• Oct. 7 - Deadline to register to vote by mail (must be postmarked by this date). The mail registration application can be found online  and mailed to Berkeley County Voter Registration & Elections, P.O. Box 6122, Moncks Corner, SC 29461.

Absentee-by-mail voting is available for qualified voters. Request an absentee ballot in person at Berkeley County Voter Registration & Elections Office; by calling 843-719-4058; or by mail (P.O Box 6122, Moncks Corner, SC 29461).

Applications must be returned to the elections office by Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. Completed ballots must be returned by Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.

Are you attending college in South Carolina? If so, you have a choice to make.

Resident students in South Carolina may register to vote either where they reside while attending college or at their home of origin, explains the League of Women Voters of South Carolina. “Whether you consider yourself to be more a resident of your college location or your original home location is up to you,” reads their website. “Only you can decide where you think you want your voice as a voter to be heard. Just know that you can vote either where you attend school or at your home of origin, but not both.”

If students want to register at their home address, they can do that online (if they have a state-issued ID like a driver's license), in-person at their county voter registration office, or by filling out and submitting a voter registration application.

Live out-of-state? The VOTE 411 website  has all the details to guide you through registration. Just remember that registration deadlines can be different from state to state.

Who’s eligible to register to vote in South Carolina? In general, you need to be at least age 18 on or before the next election, a U.S. citizen, and a South Carolina resident.

What’s your physical (street) address? Many college students receive their mail at a campus P.O. Box. To register to vote, you need to use your residence or dorm's physical street address. You can provide your P.O. Box address for mail purposes.

For out-of-state students, to register and vote at their South Carolina college address, you can register in person at your county board of voter registration or submit a completed South Carolina Voter Registration mail application to your county board of voter registration by mail, fax, or as an emailed photo or scan.

In-state students with a South Carolina driver’s license can register online. To do this, first update your address at SCDMV.  Remember to use your residence or dorm street address, not a P.O. Box. Then register to vote online with your new permanent address.

Don’t have a SC driver’s license? Then you will need to register in person or complete the mail-in registration listed earlier in this article.

Now, take the time to educate yourself on what’s on the ballot. Check out the information at VOTE411, a nonpartisan source of voting and election information sponsored by the League of Women Voters. In Berkeley County, for all election-related inquiries and information, please contact them at 843-719-4056; or visit berkeleycountysc.gov/dept/elections/ or scvotes.gov.

POLL WORKERS NEEDED

Berkeley County needs additional poll workers for the upcoming General Election. Poll workers can earn compensation of at least $200. If interested, contact Laura Thomas with Voter Registration & Elections at 843-719-4663 or email Laura.Thomas@berkeleycountysc.gov. View more information and the application at the website.