West Union, South Carolina Public Records

Applicants need to provide their South Carolina driver's license or Department of Motor Vehicles ID card number, social security number, and date of birth. As an unincorporated community without municipal government, West Union has no city elections, but residents participate fully in county, state, and federal contests. At the Oconee County level, voters elect a seven-member County Council by district, along with the Sheriff, Clerk of Court, Treasurer, Auditor, Coroner, and other constitutional officers. Residents can find their assigned polling place using the locator at https://vrems.scvotes.sc.gov/?PageMode=PollingInfo or by contacting the Oconee County elections office directly. South Carolina maintains voter registration lists as public records available for inspection under certain conditions, though personal information receives protection. Campaign finance disclosures for state and local candidates are filed with the South Carolina Ethics Commission at https://ethics.sc.gov and can be searched online. Precinct-level election results are published both by the State Election Commission at https://www.scvotes.gov/election-results and by the local elections office. In the November 2024 presidential election, Oconee County reported approximately 60% voter turnout with over 50,000 votes cast from roughly 83,000 registered voters, reflecting strong conservative participation. Looking ahead to the November 3, 2026 general election, voters in the area will decide several significant races including South Carolina's gubernatorial election (Governor Henry McMaster's term expires in 2027, making this race a key statewide contest), all seats in the South Carolina House of Representatives (two-year terms), approximately half of the South Carolina Senate (four-year staggered terms, with some Oconee-area districts up in 2026), and county offices including Oconee County Council seats, Sheriff, and other constitutional officers whose terms expire. South Carolina does not have a U.S. Senate race in 2026 (Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott are not up). The state offers absentee voting for voters who qualify under specific circumstances including age 65 and older, physical disability, members of the armed forces, government employees working overseas, or those who will be away from their county on Election Day. Absentee ballot applications are available at https://www.scvotes.gov/absentee-voting and must be submitted to the Oconee County Elections Office. South Carolina does not have no-excuse absentee voting; voters must have a qualifying reason. Early in-person voting was expanded in recent years and voters should check with the Oconee County elections office for dates and locations for early voting periods before the November 2026 election.