See demo of new voting system, get your REAL ID, register to vote on Friday at Sumter County Library

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FROM STAFF REPORTS

Talk about a one-stop shop.

On Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the public is invited to see the new paper-based voting system in action, get information and assistance signing up for a REAL ID, register to vote and learn about the requirement to complete the U.S. Census by April 1. All of this is happening at the Sumter County Library, 111 N. Harvin St.

Last year, South Carolina announced the award of a contract for a new statewide voting system. The new system, which is replacing the state's aging paperless system, in place since 2004, provides voters with the familiarity of a touchscreen combined with the security of a paper ballot. The system was used in select county elections throughout the fall of 2019 and will be used statewide for the first time for the primaries in 2020.

The S.C. State Election Commission will be at Friday's event demonstrating the system. For more information on the new voting system, visit scVOTES.org.

The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles will be on hand to sign up residents for the REAL ID. Beginning Oct. 1, 2020, your South Carolina driver's license or identification card must have a gold star to show it's a REAL ID in order to use it as your identification to board a domestic, commercial flight, enter a secure federal building, or visit a military installation.

If you have a valid U.S. Passport, military ID, or another federal identification that's accepted to pass airport security, you may use this instead of changing your S.C. license or ID to a REAL ID.

In order to obtain a REAL ID, individuals must provide proof of identity with either a government-issued birth certificate or valid U.S. Passport, proof of Social Security number, two proofs of current, physical address and proof of all legal name changes. For additional information, visit https://bit.ly/39sNxwN.

A REAL ID is not required to vote in S.C. Voters can continue to use their standard driver's license or DMV ID card for voting.

For more information on the valid forms of photo ID accepted for voting, visit https://www.scvotes.org/node/235.