Every four years, nine electors in South Carolina play a crucial role in electing the president of the United States.

These men and women will be entrusted with the critical responsibility of representing the will of the state's voters as they cast their votes in the Electoral College for the 270 votes needed to win the White House.

The process for selecting electors varies by state, but in South Carolina, political parties submit lists of candidates to serve as electors. These names are already certified for 2024.

The Secretary of State's office received the names about 60 days before Election Day. Some parties even submitted them earlier.

The Post and Courier requested copies of filings from all major parties, including the S.C. Democratic Party and the S.C. Republican Party.

These individuals are deeply committed party loyalists who come from a circle of people that includes current and former party officials, state legislators, political candidates and activists.

In South Carolina, these voters cannot defy their party or put their own personal preferences above the will of the people. Not only are voters bound by the state's popular vote, they are also subject to criminal penalties and possible fines.

This year, South Carolina's Electoral College meeting will take place on December 17 in Columbia.

Listed here are South Carolina electors for the state's two major political parties, Republican and Democrat, sending two at-large electors and one elector from each of the state's seven congressional districts.

republican

• Drew McKissick, chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party is one of his party's two electors. If former President Donald Trump wins, he will be a member of the Electoral College for the fourth time, having voted as an elector in 2004, 2012 and 2020. He has served in elected and appointed positions within the Republican Party at all levels. At the national level, he most recently served as co-chair of the Republican National Committee from January 2023 to March 2024.
• Cindy Costa, a Republican national committeewoman from Charlestonis another big voter. Like McKissick, she was previously a member of the Electoral College and cast her ballot in 2020. CNN called her a GOP power broker and has been a member of the Republican National Committee since 1996.
• Xiaodan Li, a Beaufort County resident Republican, is a well-known GOP activist in the 1st Congressional District. She is a member of the party's state executive committee and serves as Beaufort County committeewoman.
• Tyson Grinstead Is Chairman of the Richland County GOP.
• Susan Aiken is a former member of the state party's executive committee, where she served as chairwoman of the 3rd Congressional District. She is a lifelong activist in the Republican Party. This year, she attended her fifth Republican National Convention as a delegate from the SC GOP.
• Alexia Newman Is A Member of the party's state executive committee and served as committeewoman for Spartanburg County.
• William Oden is chairman of the Sumter County GOP.
• Moye Graham is chairman of the Clarendon County GOP.
• JD Chaplin is chairman of the Darlington County GOP.

Democrats

• Former Governor Dick Riley, The only two-term Democratic governor in South Carolina history is one of his party's two electors. If Vice President Kamala Harris wins, she will cast her vote with 91 votes. His focus on improving the state's schools as governor led to him becoming President Bill Clinton's education chief. He was also the longest-serving U.S. Secretary of Education.
• Former Governor James Hodges, SC's only other living former Democratic governor is another at-large voter. Hodges is the last Democrat to hold the governor's office, serving a term from 1999 to 2003. He is perhaps best known for pushing the state to adopt a lottery.
• Sue Yearwood is second vice chairman of the Beaufort County Democratic Party.
• Lessie B Price is a former first vice chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Previously, she was a longtime member of the Aiken County Council, where she was the first woman elected to a seat on the city council.
• Walt McLeod is a former state legislator. After 21 years in office, he decided to retire from politics in 2016.
• Helen Bennett is the Secretary of the Rules and Credentials Committee of the Spartanburg County Democratic Party.
• Laurie Slade Funderburk is a former state representative who was first elected in 2004. She lost her re-election in 2020.
• Margaret Sumpter is chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party's Council of Black Democrats.
• Maggie W Glover is a former state representative who made history when she became the first Black woman elected to the state Senate in 1993. Before that, she served in the state House of Representatives.