Less than 24 hours before Election Day, South Carolina’s Election Commission headquarters was evacuated.
Firefighters responded to the downtown Columbia building about 45 minutes later.
Columbia-Richland Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins said crews found cigarette butts and smoke coming from a grate outside the Lady Street building. Investigators believe a discarded cigarette ignited nearby leaves.
@fitsnews This afternoon, a fire alarm at 1122 Lady Street prompted an evacuation, including SC State Election Commission staff. Columbia Fire gave the all-clear after approximately 45 minutes. All operations have resumed and it has no effect on tomorrow’s general election.
— SC State Election Commission (@scvotes) November 2, 2026
Officials reported no connection between the fire and election activity.
The temporary evacuation came as South Carolina prepares for one of its busiest gubernatorial elections in years.
A record 1,043,810 South Carolinians voted early between Oct. 19 and Oct. 31. That more than doubled early turnout from the 2022 midterm election.
York County alone recorded 60,875 early voters, the fifth-highest total in the state.
Election Day Comes Amid National Anxiety
Across the country, younger voters are heading into Tuesday’s midterms with concerns ranging from affordability and immigration to civil rights and election integrity.
Every single day, the men and women of @HSI_HQ are working to expose voter fraud.
Under President Trump, @TheJusticeDept and DHS are working together to find, arrest, and prosecute these non-citizen voters.
Only American citizens should be electing America’s leaders, and those who violate our election laws will face justice.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) November 2, 2026
Nearly 50 million Americans ages 18 to 29 are eligible to vote, but almost half remain unregistered or civically disengaged, according to Census data cited by The Guardian.
Young voters interviewed by the publication listed the cost of living, immigration enforcement, climate policy, healthcare, artificial intelligence and confidence in election results among their biggest concerns.
In South Carolina, polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Anyone in line by 7 p.m. can still vote.
