SC H3396

Requires voters to register with a political party or as an independent before voting in partisan primary elections or advisory referendums in South Carolina

Independent voters who cast a ballot in a party's primary automatically become registered members of that party for two years and cannot switch parties or return to independent status during that period

Voters must register their party affiliation or independent status at least 30 days before a primary election; changes to party affiliation must be made at least 60 days before a primary

State Election Commission must maintain lists of voters by party affiliation and assist counties with capturing this registration data

Implementation begins with primaries after May 31, 2026; voters in primaries before June 2026 are not required to sign the party affiliation affidavit