It Begins at the County Level
The journey to official results for a congressional race starts in each of South Carolina's 46 counties. After the polls close, the initial, unofficial results you see on TV are tabulated. But the real work begins in the following days. Each county has a board of voter registration and elections, whose members meet to become the official county board of canvassers. Their first major task is to canvass the vote, which is the official process of counting every valid ballot. This includes not just the votes from election day, but also early votes, absentee ballots, and any provisional ballots that are determined to be valid. On the Friday after the election, county boards meet to rule on provisional ballots and add them to the totals before certifying
the county's results.
The County Board of Canvassers Makes It Official
By law, the county board of canvassers must meet by 1:00 p.m. on the Friday following the election to organize and begin their work. They are required to complete their canvass and transmit a certified statement of the votes for all offices, including U.S. House races, to the State Board of Canvassers. This report must be sent no later than noon on the Saturday after the election. This county-level certification is the first official step in declaring a winner, transforming the unofficial election night numbers into a formal record that is then passed up to the state for final approval. These county officials are the first line of defense in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the vote in their jurisdiction.
The State Board of Canvassers Takes Over
Once all 46 counties have sent in their certified results, the process moves to the state level. The five members of the State Election Commission act as the Board of State Canvassers. It is their legal duty to aggregate the certified results from every county for all federal, statewide, and multi-county offices. This board convenes within 10 days of the general election to begin its final canvass of the statewide vote. Their job is not to recount the votes themselves, but to review and formally compile the totals certified by each county, ensuring all paperwork is in order and addressing any reported issues.
The Final Certification and Declaring a Winner
The State Board of Canvassers is the ultimate authority for federal races in South Carolina. After convening, they have a set period to complete their work. By law, they must finalize the canvass and certify the results within 15 days of the election. For presidential elections, this timeline is even shorter, at just five days. It is at this meeting that the board officially declares the winner for each congressional district, as well as for U.S. Senate seats and statewide offices. Once the State Board certifies the result, it is considered official and final. This certification triggers the formal issuance of a certificate of election to the winning candidate.
What About Protests and Recounts?
The process can be delayed if results are extremely close or if a candidate files a formal protest. South Carolina law mandates an automatic recount if the margin between a winning candidate and the next closest competitor is 1% or less of the total votes cast for that office. Candidates also have the right to file protests, which are first heard by the county boards. Appeals can then be made to the State Board of Canvassers, which sits in a judicial capacity to hear testimony and rule on these disputes. The state certification meeting can be postponed, but not for more than a total of 15 days, to resolve these matters before a final winner is declared.
