South Carolina Election Commission

What South Carolina Election Commission does

The South Carolina Election Commission (SCSEC) is a constitutional state agency established in 1968 and headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, responsible for administering all statewide and federal elections within the state. It oversees voter registration, candidate filing, early voting, absentee voting, Election Day polling, and post-election audits across 46 county voter registration and elections offices, serving the state's 3,412,789 registered voters as of 2026. Core products include the scVOTES.gov public portal, the MyscVOTES authenticated voter lookup system, the Election Night Reporting System (enr-scvotes.org), a statewide Voter Registration System integrated with DMV data, online Poll Manager Training, and a Vulnerability Disclosure Program. Supporting technology includes the UOCAVA Electronic Ballot Delivery System for military and overseas voters, a County Security Assessment Program that physically and cyber-assesses all 46 county offices, and the Roundtable government operations platform adopted in 2022 for centralized data and rapid deployment.

The agency's business model is non-commercial: it is funded through South Carolina state budget appropriations and federal HAVA grants, supplemented by candidate filing fees (calculated as 1% of annual base salary multiplied by term of office) for partisan primary candidates. All voting services are free at point of use for citizens. Go-to-market is direct-to-government and direct-to-citizen through 46 county offices, early voting centers, Election Day polling places, and the scVOTES.gov online portal, with voter outreach additionally conducted through Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, press releases, and the NoExcuseSC.gov education portal. Customer segments include general registered voters, senior voters (65+), voters with disabilities, UOCAVA military and overseas citizens, poll workers, and political candidates. The agency holds UOCAVA compliance certification and operates under a July 2026 Memorandum of Agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice for the August 11, 2026 Special Republican Primary.

Name

South Carolina Election Commission

Legal name

South Carolina State Election Commission

Website

https://scvotes.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The South Carolina Election Commission is a constitutional state agency that administers voter registration, early voting, absentee voting, Election Day polling, and post-election audits across 46 counties, serving 3.4 million registered voters through its scVOTES.gov portal and county offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

State Election Administration Services

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (92615)

akta.pro primary industry

Electoral Support & Election Observation (BPADAGAA)

Keywords

• State election administration
• Voter registration services
• Absentee voting management
• Election night reporting
• Poll worker training

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: State agency funded through South Carolina state budget appropriations and federal grants including HAVA (Help America Vote Act) funding.
2. Candidate Filing Fees: Filing fees collected from candidates seeking party nominations, calculated as 1% of annual base salary multiplied by term of office.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The South Carolina Election Commission (SEC) is the state government agency responsible for administering voter registration and elections across all 46 South Carolina counties. It provides voter registration services, early voting, absentee voting (including UOCAVA-compliant electronic ballot delivery for military and overseas voters), Election Day polling, candidate filing, campaign finance disclosure, poll manager training, election night results reporting, and post-election audits. All voter-facing services are offered free of charge to eligible citizens.

Product overview

The South Carolina Election Commission operates scvotes.gov as its primary voter-facing platform, which provides a unified portal for voter registration, polling place lookup, sample ballots, absentee voting, and early voting. The core ecosystem includes MyscVOTES for individual voter services, the Candidate Tracking System for election administration, and the Election Night Reporting System for real-time results. Supporting systems include the Poll Manager Training Platform, Campaign Finance & Ethics System, and Vulnerability Disclosure Program. These products work together to provide end-to-end election administration services from voter registration through election night reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• scVOTES.gov Voter Portal The official public-facing portal providing voter registration, polling place lookup, sample ballots, absentee voting applications, early voting information, and voter registration verification for South Carolina citizens.
• MyscVOTES Online Voter Portal Online portal allowing registered South Carolina voters to check registration status, view voting history, access sample ballots, and find polling places through the vrems.scvotes.sc.gov system.
• Candidate Tracking System Online system allowing voters and candidates to track candidate filings, view candidate documents, and download candidate data for South Carolina elections.
• Election Night Reporting System Real-time election results reporting system providing live election night results for all statewide and county elections in South Carolina.
• Voter Registration System Statewide voter registration system allowing online registration, registration updates, and voter status verification across South Carolina.
• Absentee Voting System Mail-based absentee ballot request and return system for qualified voters including military, overseas, elderly, and disabled voters, with UOCAVA compliance features.
• Early Voting Service In-person early voting centers operating statewide during designated early voting periods, allowing any registered South Carolina voter to cast ballots before Election Day.
• Poll Manager Training Platform Online training system for poll workers including certification courses, handbook resources, and examination materials for Election Day operations.
• Campaign Finance and Ethics Filing System Candidate filing and campaign finance disclosure system integrated with the State Ethics Commission for online filing of economic interests and campaign disclosure forms.
• Vulnerability Disclosure Program Security program allowing security researchers to report vulnerabilities in South Carolina Election Commission systems in support of election security.
• County Voter Registration and Elections Offices Network of 46 county offices across South Carolina providing in-person voter registration, absentee ballot services, early voting locations, and Election Day support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 51% voter turnout in 2022 General Election with 1.7 million voters participating
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 July 2026SEC reached a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the DOJ regarding UOCAVA compliance for the August 11, 2026 Special Republican Primary. The agreement ensures military and overseas voters receive proper ballot access, establishes deadlines for voter notification and ballot mailing, and requires reporting on ballot tracking. This is a compliance-driven partnership ensuring federal law adherence.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Election Systems & Software (ES&S): Major voting equipment and election management software vendor serving state and county election offices — relevant as a key technology supplier whose products and services enable SEC's election administration operations.
• Hart InterCivic: Voting technology vendor providing election management systems and voting equipment to state election agencies — comparable as infrastructure provider enabling state-level election administration like SEC's operations.

Direct peers

• Texas Secretary of State (Elections Division): Texas's state-level election administration division with voter registration, election management, and candidate filing functions comparable to South Carolina's SEC in core mandate and operational model.
• Florida Department of State (Division of Elections): State-level election administrator for Florida with comparable voter registration, candidate filing, and election management functions — operates at similar scale with multi-county distribution model.
• North Carolina State Board of Elections: State agency administering elections and voter registration in North Carolina with similar county-based distribution, voter registration systems, and election night reporting — closely comparable in operations and technology deployment.
• Georgia Secretary of State (Elections Division): State-level election administration agency for Georgia with comparable responsibilities in voter registration, candidate certification, and election management across counties — directly analogous to South Carolina's SEC in mandate and operational structure.
• Virginia Department of Elections: Virginia's centralized state election agency offering voter registration, absentee voting, and election administration services comparable to South Carolina's SEC in structure and service offering.
• Pennsylvania Department of State (Bureau of Elections): State-level bureau administering elections and voter registration in Pennsylvania with comparable voter services, candidate filing systems, and county-based election administration model.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC): Federal agency providing national election administration guidance, HAVA funding administration, and Clearie Awards — directly relevant as the federal counterpart and standard-setter for SEC's state-level operations.
• Federal Election Commission (FEC): Federal agency overseeing campaign finance disclosure and election law enforcement — adjacent to SEC's campaign finance disclosure responsibilities through the State Ethics Commission integration.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/scvotes
• Facebookfacebook.com/scvotes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sc-election-commission
• Instagraminstagram.com/sc_votes

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about South Carolina Election Commission