In Columbia, South Carolina, September 170,000 residents have been labeled as “inactive” on the state’s voter list after failing to update their registration information since 2020, as per election officials.
The State Election Commission (SEC) sent out address verification cards in April to more than 191,000 voters, which is around 5% of the state’s almost 3.5 million registered voters, because they haven’t participated in elections or updated their registration in the last four years.
Voters were asked to confirm their address on the cards and mail them back to the election office within 90 days.
SEC Executive Director Howie Knapp emphasized that “the business of running elections doesn’t end on Election Day,” highlighting the significance of this process as a key method to maintain accurate and current voter rolls.
“It’s one of the many ways we safeguard the integrity of our elections and ensure every eligible South Carolinian can vote with confidence,” he added.
Officials said 168,000 voters had been made inactive as of July 1 because they either did not respond within the given timeframe, their card returned as undeliverable, or they confirmed that they are no longer in the state.
Those marked as inactive are still eligible to vote, but must reconfirm their address before participating in future elections. Inactive voters stay on the list for two general election cycles before being officially removed.
Another 23,000 voters maintained active voter status after confirming their registration information was correct, according to officials.
The next statewide elections in South Carolina will be held in November 2026. You can verify that your registration is up to date on scvotes.gov.
