SCDMV fixes glitch that prevented thousands of teens from voting
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Future first-time voters in South Carolina may not have as much of a problem ing as past ones, thanks to a promising development.
The glitch was first reported in October in the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles’ system. It barred almost 2,000 young people from voting in the 2024 election.
Thanks to a push from the ACLU of South Carolina and a few other organizations, the DMV said this should not be a problem going forward.
“I jumped for joy when I heard about it,” said Charleston County teen Noah Counts.
Real ID deadline is one month away
Those with travel plans are urged to act soon to prevent delays or other travel issues.
It was Counts who alerted the ACLU to the problem back in the fall, when he noticed he wasn’t ed to vote, although he had checked the box when getting his driver’s license.
The ALCU then filed a lawsuit against the state’s election commission, claiming this was a widespread problem where hundreds of teens who would have turned eighteen by election day were not ed after opting to be at the DMV.
“We got denied a temporary restraining order that would have potentially fixed the problem in time for the general election,” said Paul Bowers, Director of Communications for the ACLU of South Carolina.
Bowers said his organization and several others kept at it after the election, and would have taken the lawsuit to a federal level if the DMV hadn’t worked to fix the issue.
Aiken County almost done with Hurricane Helene debris cleanup
The Aiken County has announced the county is hoping to have all debris from Hurricane Helene picked up by Monday.
“I kept thinking about how disappointing it would be to have your first time at the ballot box end with some logistical snafu; that’s really disheartening,” said Bowers. “It’s always a win for representative democracy when we’re able to help more people to vote.”
For Counts, hearing the problem was resolved was a relief, and now he hopes future first-time voters take advantage of an easy way to .
“The fact that, like, two thousand young people didn’t get to vote... I mean, that maybe wouldn’t have decided state-wide or national elections, but local elections-- your sheriffs, your coroners, stuff like that,” said Counts. “When you get your driver’s license, just tick the box and yourself to vote, now that that actually works.”
Local mobile intake event bridges the gap in healthcare
A mobile health care tour is meeting people where they are in the community this week.
The SCDMV said it has adjusted its customer management software so that it now catches and transmits voter registration information for those 16 and up.
Bowers said the glitch was also a problem prior to the 2024 election, but the ACLU does not have an estimate on how many young voters this could have impacted overall.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
