You Only Need One Photo ID To Vote

Voting gets complicated the moment bad info hits the group chat. So we brought in Delcinia Murchison, a retired postmaster and experienced elections worker, to give clear, practical guidance that helps you walk into the polls confident, calm, and prepared.

We start with the question we keep hearing: “How many IDs do I need to vote?” Delcinia lays it out plainly for South Carolina voting rules. You only need one photo ID, and she explains which ones count, including a driver’s license, passport, military ID, concealed weapons permit, or a voter registration photo ID card. We also clear up the confusion around the mailed voter registration card (often described as the little blue card). It’s useful for your precinct and districts, but it’s not enough to vote without a photo ID.

Then we move to the best tool for cutting through rumors: scvotes.gov. We talk about how to check your voter registration, confirm your address and precinct, view your voting history, find candidate information, and pull up a personalized sample ballot you can print and bring with you. We also go over early voting dates and hours, plus where to vote early, so you can make a plan that fits your schedule.

If this helped you, share it with one person who has questions, subscribe for more community conversations, and leave a quick review so more voters can find accurate South Carolina election info.

Transcript

Why Clear Voting Info Matters

SPEAKER_02 0:04

Hello everyone, welcome to Native Drums. And this evening I have with me Delcinia Murchison. Delcinha is a fine member of the Savannah Grove Baptist Church, a retired postmaster, mistress. Postmaster.

SPEAKER_01 0:21

You know, in today's world, everybody's trying to change that identity. Yeah, yeah. Postmaster.

SPEAKER_02 0:29

All right. And um, and she's very active with our voting situation and making sure that uh everything is done right at the polls. So welcome to Native Drums, Delcinia. Thank you so very much for having me. Oh, it's our pleasure. We knew that um with uh everyone in the middle of voting, this is the voting season, and uh we knew that it was vital and very important to have you come on Native Drums so that we can make sure that everyone has the correct information when it comes to voting because there have been questions, and um, and I'm sure that you'll be able to enlighten

What Photo ID You Need

SPEAKER_02 1:10

our viewers. So, uh we know early voting has begun, and um so one question that has um been uh brought to me uh the IDs, identification, what it is that you need in order to make sure that um that whenever you go that you have the right uh ID. So, because some people thought you had to have two forms of IDs and all kinds of so there's a little confusion. So let's um work on that and straightening that out.

SPEAKER_00 1:43

Okay. Well, uh voter only needs to have one ID, and that is a photo ID. So that ID can be the voter registration ID that they have secured from the um voter registration office, or they can bring in their driver's license. As long as it has a photo of that individual, then it is acceptable. Now we accept more than just those two, but those are the primary ones that people will bring in. We do accept a passport because it has a photo on it. We expect uh accept military, uh, we have um the concealed weapons, and so having those variety of IDs, then that helps individuals um to when they come in to um register to to vote.

SPEAKER_02 2:43

So um as we were talking earlier, and um you enlightened me on this, that little green card that we get in the mail that we have always had um thinking that that was our and it is our voter registration certificate, but that is not enough in order to vote. You've got to have that picture.

SPEAKER_00 3:02

No, no, you definitely need to have a picture ID because we need to be able to see your face and see it on that uh ID and then be able to get you in to recognize that yes, this is who you are. Now that, and you say it green, and I think now it's blue. Oh, it is oh. So you still well when an individual say, take for example, if an individual comes in for the first time to register to vote, then once they put the information in, they will receive that little blue card in the mail, and it will just have the information on there relative to their name, address, precinct name, and then it will list what district they're in and that kind of information. If they want to receive a picture ID, then the voter registration office can take that ID for them and they will receive immediately that card, that paper card with their photo on it, which can be used if they you know they're going in to vote, but they will receive a hard the like the size of the driver's license, they will receive that um ID, that voter ID card in the mail, uh, and it comes out of Columbia from the South Carolina Election Commission.

SPEAKER_02 4:36

Okay, all right. Now, the how do you tell our viewers how you check to make sure that you are on that registration list because some people have been purged, and we need to know how to check that to make sure that we are on that on, you know, that we are registered.

SPEAKER_00 5:03

Okay. Interesting that you use the word purge. We don't purge archived.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

And I got that from what I've been hearing.

Check Registration On SCVotes.gov

SPEAKER_01 5:16

They purge the list.

SPEAKER_00 5:18

Um and um well, what happens there is that an individual can go on scvotes.gov and they can pull up a lot of information. That information can show them um the um all of everything information in there relative to their address and this kind of thing. It can show them the history of the times that they have voted and each you know, each election that they have been in.

SPEAKER_02 5:49

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 5:50

Um they can find out information about candidates, um, they can find um about um um other resources, resource information. Sometimes they have some information in there relative to articles, and and you have to go through the entire process in order to get this. They can even get their sample ballot. Oh, really? When they go in, yes. Uh they can also request even an apt to absentee ballot if they if that's something they want to do. Yeah, so it's a wealth of information contained on that website. It's scvotes.gov.

SPEAKER_02 6:32

Well, that's good that um you can get the sample ballot because um I don't think many of us realize that, that you go on SC Votes um to do that, because that is another question that um several people have said, well, who is running, who is running for this? Who do we vote? Why was, you know, and um and not knowing that you can go right on SC votes and see that sample ballot and you'll see who is running and the offices that they're running for.

SPEAKER_00 7:02

That's correct. And if that sample ballot will cover just theirs. Right. They, you know, that individual, depending on where they live and who they're eligible to vote for, those names, the positions will be listed, and all the candidates will be listed on their sample ballot. They can actually print that sample ballot off and take it to them to the polls so that at least they have that in front of them. Really? Yes, as they're voting.

SPEAKER_02 7:34

Oh. And that was another question. If you can take, you know, um a sample ballot or a listing with you to know who's, oh, okay, well, that is you are really giving us some good information to today, especially you're helping me. Um, so if you're helping me, I'm sure that you're helping our viewers as well. So is there in uh I know there's some other things that we need to know in reference to um to voting. So if you can kind of give us that information, things that we may have missed um in this discussion.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Have we

Early Voting Dates And Rules

SPEAKER_00 8:15

hit everything? I I well I guess if we look at it overall, here we're entering into this primary election, and uh we know that we have started the election, which it started on May the 26th, and it will run through June the 5th.

SPEAKER_02 8:36

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 8:37

Does not include uh Saturday or Sunday.

SPEAKER_02 8:41

Right.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

The hours are 8:30 to 5. So voters can come in in seven different precincts or seven different locations to vote. And it's only in early voting that they could go to any of those seven um to to cast their ballot. But if they wait and don't go on doing early voting, then they will have to go uh to the polls on June the 9th during the regular election time, which those times are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Okay. All right. Bring your idea, as we've talked about before, and if you have your pull up your sample ballot, then you can you know have that with you so that you can go in, get registered, cast your um, so make your selection, and then drop that um ballot into a bin that will be counted.

SPEAKER_02 9:43

Okay, okay. So um can you name those locations uh for the early voting? The early voting locations? Some of them at least.

SPEAKER_00 9:54

Yes. We have what we call Election Central, okay, and that is the main voter registration office that's located on Third Loop. Uh there's Mount Zion, AME Baptist Church on Chevy Street. And then we have the other locations are all libraries. That is a library in Timminsville, Johnsonville, Pamplico, Olanta. And I did I get them all?

SPEAKER_02 10:21

I should have been counting because I said there were seven.

SPEAKER_00 10:23

Yeah, but seven. Yeah. Election Central, um, Mount Zion, Olanta, Timminsville, Lake City. I forgot Lake City. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_02 10:35

The library in Lake City in Johnsonville. Oh, okay. And so um Mount Zion AME is the only church.

SPEAKER_00 10:44

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. During during early voting. During early early voting voting voting, right, right. During the early voting. Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_02 10:51

Because we have yeah, because you do have other churches, matter of fact, yeah, but we'll tell you. Let's not get people confused. No, no, no. Definitely don't want to do that. Uh okay. Well, you have been um your information has been very enlightening uh for us, and I'm sure that those who had questions um are now have been educated, and um hopefully we have answered all of their questions um today. And um, we're just ever so thankful to have you here with us and to have you right here in our church uh uh in Savannah Grove family so that we're we're well informed as to what we need.

SPEAKER_00 11:32

Let

When To Call The Voter Office

SPEAKER_00 11:33

me say one other thing. If someone is in doubt of the location of a polling place, especially and in even doing early voting, all that information is on scvotes.gov.

SPEAKER_02 11:46

SC Votes, SC Votes.gov.gov. Okay.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

You have to go in there and you can update your information as well. You know, check your voter registration, all of that. And if you ever have a question regarding any information and you're not certain about what you're looking at, or if or um if you can't get in there or something, call the office. You can always call the voter registration office or go to the voter registration office. They will be more than happy to assist you and get you in the right direction. Wonderful, wonderful. Including your aid even those who may request an absentee ballot.

SPEAKER_02 12:31

Okay, all right.

Final Thanks And Sign Off

SPEAKER_02 12:33

Well, thank you so much, Delcinia. You're certainly welcome. All right. Well, everyone, we have been informed by our educator, Del Cina Murchison, on um on our voting, those voting tips. So we thank her ever so much for joining us here on Native Drums. We'll see you next week. So make sure you stay tuned and have a blessed, blessed week.