Judge Denies Request to Grant Nearly 1,900 South Carolina Voter Registrations to 17-Year-Olds

To date, the DMV has positively identified 1,896 who asked to be registered when applying for driver’s licenses but weren’t added to the rolls.

South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles lawyer Will Davidson argues against reopening voter registration to allow teens to vote after a glitch in the DMV's computers in Columbia, S.C., on Oct. 25, 2024. AP Photo/Jeffrey Collins

A judge has denied a request by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of South Carolina to compel South Carolina’s Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV) and State Election Commission to reopen voter registration in the state and add thousands of eligible 17-year-olds to the voter rolls ahead of the upcoming presidential election.

The ruling, issued on Oct. 25 by Judge Daniel Coble of the Richland County Court of Common Pleas, was handed down in response to a lawsuit brought by the advocacy group, which sought emergency relief to correct what it argued was a systemic error by the SCDMV that prevented eligible 17-year-olds from being registered to vote.