South Carolina Presidential Primary Voter Guide (ContributorNetwork)

South Carolina's GOP presidential primary is scheduled for Jan. 21. Voters will decide the state's choice for the Republican nominee for president to face incumbent Barack Obama in November.

Here's a voter guide for people heading to the polls.

Before You Vote

The voter registration deadline was Dec. 21 to vote in the presidential primary. If you are voting absentee, your ballot must mailed by Tuesday. If you are voting absentee in-person, you must cast your vote by 5 p.m. on Jan. 20.

In order to vote on election day, you must bring one of three items with you. A voter registration card, a driver's license or a state-issued ID card have to be presented to the election officials at your polling place.

You can locate your polling place by looking at your voter ID card or checking online by inputting your voter information. The South Carolina Election Commission has a database that will tell your voting location.

Anyone can vote in the presidential preference primary, regardless of party affiliation. South Carolina does not record registrations by party. The Democratic Party will not be holding a primary this year.

At the Polls

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Anyone standing in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote. There are nine candidates on the ballot, including Rep. Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain even though they have dropped out of the nomination process. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order by their last name.

South Carolina uses a Direct Recording Electronic system to count votes. Third party Independent Testing Authorities ensure the DRE systems are safe and impervious to alteration. Voters mark on the screen what choice they want for president. Votes are tallied on the hardware within the voting machine that is used to verified results.

Results

NPR states every winner of a contested Republican South Carolina primary has gone on to win the party's nomination for president. The first presidential primary in the state was held in 1980 when Ronald Reagan won the primary. The New York Times posted results of the 2008 primary that had Sen. John McCain win with just 33.2 percent of the vote, the closest result in the primary's 32-year history.

Should there be less than a one percent margin between first and second place, a mandatory recount goes into effect.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120114/pl_ac/10835293_south_carolina_presidential_primary_voter_guide

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