South Carolina residents will get an extra 10 days to register to vote in next month's election because of the disruption caused by Hurricane Florence.

Richland County Judge Robert Hood issued an order Tuesday pushing back the voter-registration deadline to Oct. 17 throughout the entire state.

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"The 10-day extension was necessary to protect the voting rights of South Carolina residents due to the widespread impact of Hurricane Florence," said Chris Whitmire, spokesman for the South Carolina Election Commission. "Many citizens have been displaced and are struggling to recover, and many county voter registration offices were closed for considerable periods of time."

Who can register to vote

People must meet the following qualifications to register to vote in South Carolina:

► They must be a U.S. citizen who will be at least 18 years on or before the next election, which is Nov. 6.

► They must reside in South Carolina.

► They cannot be under a court order declaring them mentally incompetent or confined in any public prison resulting from a conviction of a crime.

People convicted of a felony or an offense against election laws cannot register to vote until they have served their entire sentence, including probation or parole, or have received a pardon for the conviction.

How to register to vote

There are several ways to register, including:

► Register online at scvotes.org or by using the "My scVotes" mobile app before midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 17. A South Carolina driver's license or Department of Motor Vehicles ID card is required.

► Download a voter registration form from scvotes.org. Complete and return the form to your county voter registration office.

By fax — must be received by midnight Wednesday, Oct. 17.

By email — must be received by midnight Wednesday, Oct. 17.

By mail — must be postmarked by Wednesday, Oct. 17.

► Register in person at your county voter registration office. Most offices will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Previously registered voters can go online and visit sc.votes.org and click "Check My Registration" to make sure their information is up to date.

Follow Kirk Brown on Twitter @KirkBrown_AIM and email him at kirk.brown@independentmail.com