Voting straight party at the polls? Here is what Sumter residents will need to know

Early voting will already be complete as of Saturday, Nov. 2, leaving the voting day of Nov. 5 as the final opportunity for Sumterites and U.S. citizens to head to the polls. As the end of election season comes upon us, many may still not know the details behind straight-ticket voting, a ballot option few states have, South Carolina being a part of that minority.

Only six states have a "straight-party" option on ballots, and one of those states has stipulations to the voting option. South Carolina is one of the six that still allows citizens to vote a straight ticket.

The straight-ticket option is an area on the ballot that can be selected by voters, so the ballot automatically selects all candidates under one party in federal, state and local partisan races.

When opting to vote straight ticket, it is important to note that only partisan races will be selected. This means that nonpartisan races will remain blank. So, if you are a straight-ticket voter in Sumter, before submitting your ballot, keep an eye out for the nonpartisan races you may be eligible to vote for. These include Sumter's mayoral race, the Sumter County Council Ward 4 race and Sumter School District Board of Trustees races for Area 1, 7 and 9.

Straight-ticket voting will also not automatically fill out any questions on the ballot. All Sumter residents should be aware of two questions that will be on the ballot this election year: the Capital Projects (Penny) Sales Tax Referendum and a Constitutional Amendment question regarding Section 4, Article II of the Constitution of South Carolina.

When voting straight ticket, voters can individually go through the auto-filled ballot and change whichever candidates that were automatically selected to a candidate of a different party. To do so, they only must select their preferred candidate.