(A) The county board of voter registration and elections or the State Election Commission, as appropriate, shall request an electronic-mail address from each covered voter who registers to vote after the effective date of this article. An electronic-mail address provided by a covered voter may not be made available to the public or any individual or organization other than an employee or official with the county board of voter registration and elections or the State Election Commission, and is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act of this State. The electronic-mail address may be used only for official communication with the covered voter about the voting process, including transmitting military-overseas ballots and election materials if the voter has requested electronic transmission, and verifying the covered voter’s mailing address and physical location. The request for an electronic-mail address must describe the purposes for which the electronic-mail address may be used and include a statement that any other use or disclosure of the electronic-mail address is prohibited.

(B) A covered voter who provides an electronic-mail address may request that the voter’s application for a military-overseas ballot be considered a standing request for electronic delivery of a ballot for all elections held through December thirty-first of the year following the calendar year of the date of the application or another shorter period the voter specifies, including for any runoff elections that occur as a result of those elections. An election official or employee shall provide a military-overseas ballot to a covered voter who makes a standing request for each election to which the request is applicable. A covered voter who is entitled to receive a military-overseas ballot for a primary election under this subsection is entitled to receive a military-overseas ballot for the general election.

Terms Used In South Carolina Code 7-15-730

  • Covered voter: means :

    (a) a uniformed-service voter or an overseas voter who is registered to vote in this State;

    (b) a uniformed-service voter whose voting residence is in this State and who otherwise satisfies this state's voter eligibility requirements;

    (c) an overseas voter who, before leaving the United States, was last eligible to vote in this State and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state's voter eligibility requirements;

    (d) an overseas voter who, before leaving the United States, would have been last eligible to vote in this State had the voter then been of voting age and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state's voter eligibility requirements; or

    (e) an overseas voter who was born outside the United States, is not described in subitem (c) or (d), and, except for a state residency requirement, otherwise satisfies this state's voter eligibility requirements, if:

    (i) the last place where a parent or legal guardian of the voter was, or under this article would have been, eligible to vote before leaving the United States is within this State; and

    (ii) the voter has not previously registered to vote in any other state. See South Carolina Code 7-15-610
  • Freedom of Information Act: A federal law that mandates that all the records created and kept by federal agencies in the executive branch of government must be open for public inspection and copying. The only exceptions are those records that fall into one of nine exempted categories listed in the statute. Source: OCC
  • Military-overseas ballot: means :

    (a) a federal write-in absentee ballot;

    (b) a ballot specifically prepared or distributed for use by a covered voter in accordance with this article; or

    (c) a ballot cast by a covered voter in accordance with this article. See South Carolina Code 7-15-610