South Carolina — 1996 presidential election
Recent presidential results
Akashicstate1996 presidential electionSouth Carolina · PresidentDoleR+6.0
How it voted
Share of the 1996 vote
| Bob Dole ✓Republican | 49.9% | 573,458 |
|---|---|---|
| Bill ClintonDemocratic | 43.9% | 504,051 |
| OtherAll other candidates | 6.3% | 71,948 |
1996presidential margin
D+60R+60
46 counties, each filled by 1996 D-vs-R margin. Hover any county for its result.
South Carolina cast 8 electoral votes this cycle.
County-level results (46 counties) — table
| County | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|
| Abbeville County, SC | Democratic | D+6.2 |
| Aiken County, SC | Republican | R+28.4 |
| Allendale County, SC | Democratic | D+39.1 |
| Anderson County, SC | Republican | R+14.6 |
| Bamberg County, SC | Democratic | D+31.3 |
| Barnwell County, SC | Republican | R+2.4 |
| Beaufort County, SC | Republican | R+12.2 |
| Berkeley County, SC | Republican | R+13.0 |
| Calhoun County, SC | Democratic | D+3.5 |
| Charleston County, SC | Republican | R+5.3 |
| Cherokee County, SC | Republican | R+6.4 |
| Chester County, SC | Democratic | D+21.5 |
| Chesterfield County, SC | Democratic | D+16.1 |
| Clarendon County, SC | Democratic | D+20.5 |
| Colleton County, SC | Democratic | D+8.3 |
| Darlington County, SC | Democratic | D+4.0 |
| Dillon County, SC | Democratic | D+17.2 |
| Dorchester County, SC | Republican | R+19.8 |
| Edgefield County, SC | Republican | R+0.9 |
| Fairfield County, SC | Democratic | D+30.8 |
| Florence County, SC | Republican | R+7.4 |
| Georgetown County, SC | Democratic | D+7.8 |
| Greenville County, SC | Republican | R+24.6 |
| Greenwood County, SC | Republican | R+3.7 |
| Hampton County, SC | Democratic | D+37.1 |
| Horry County, SC | Republican | R+4.5 |
| Jasper County, SC | Democratic | D+31.4 |
| Kershaw County, SC | Republican | R+10.7 |
| Lancaster County, SC | Democratic | D+6.7 |
| Laurens County, SC | Republican | R+6.1 |
| Lee County, SC | Democratic | D+27.3 |
| Lexington County, SC | Republican | R+33.1 |
| Marion County, SC | Democratic | D+26.4 |
| Marlboro County, SC | Democratic | D+39.9 |
| McCormick County, SC | Democratic | D+24.1 |
| Newberry County, SC | Republican | R+7.7 |
| Oconee County, SC | Republican | R+15.6 |
| Orangeburg County, SC | Democratic | D+26.8 |
| Pickens County, SC | Republican | R+31.5 |
| Richland County, SC | Democratic | D+13.8 |
| Saluda County, SC | Republican | R+5.9 |
| Spartanburg County, SC | Republican | R+13.6 |
| Sumter County, SC | Democratic | D+0.5 |
| Union County, SC | Democratic | D+15.4 |
| Williamsburg County, SC | Democratic | D+26.7 |
| York County, SC | Republican | R+12.6 |
South Carolina results by county
46 counties. Third-party and independent votes are reported by the county source as one combined figure; every named candidate is listed in the complete result below.
| Led by | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abbeville County | Bill Clinton+439 | 3,05443.0% | 3,49349.2% | 160.2% | 7,100 |
| Aiken County | Bob Dole+12,225 | 26,53961.6% | 14,31433.2% | 2370.6% | 43,074 |
| Allendale County | Bill Clinton+1,281 | 94128.8% | 2,22267.9% | 230.7% | 3,273 |
| Anderson County | Bob Dole+6,677 | 24,13752.7% | 17,46038.1% | 2760.6% | 45,769 |
| Bamberg County | Bill Clinton+1,665 | 1,71532.3% | 3,38063.6% | 250.5% | 5,312 |
| Barnwell County | Bob Dole+188 | 3,80849.0% | 3,62046.6% | 360.5% | 7,774 |
| Beaufort County | Bob Dole+4,043 | 17,57553.0% | 13,53240.8% | 2170.7% | 33,162 |
| Berkeley County | Bob Dole+4,333 | 17,69153.2% | 13,35840.2% | 2710.8% | 33,242 |
| Calhoun County | Bill Clinton+196 | 2,52045.0% | 2,71648.5% | 460.8% | 5,598 |
| Charleston County | Bob Dole+5,104 | 48,67550.3% | 43,57145.1% | 9281.0% | 96,688 |
| Cherokee County | Bob Dole+868 | 6,68949.0% | 5,82142.7% | 650.5% | 13,639 |
| Chester County | Bill Clinton+1,951 | 3,15734.8% | 5,10856.3% | 490.5% | 9,072 |
| Chesterfield County | Bill Clinton+1,706 | 4,02838.1% | 5,73454.3% | 390.4% | 10,569 |
| Clarendon County | Bill Clinton+2,089 | 3,84137.7% | 5,93058.1% | 320.3% | 10,198 |
| Colleton County | Bill Clinton+867 | 4,46242.9% | 5,32951.2% | 600.6% | 10,401 |
| Darlington County | Bill Clinton+723 | 8,22045.2% | 8,94349.2% | 1330.7% | 18,194 |
| Dillon County | Bill Clinton+1,218 | 2,77439.3% | 3,99256.5% | 200.3% | 7,061 |
| Dorchester County | Bob Dole+5,352 | 15,28356.6% | 9,93136.8% | 1820.7% | 26,987 |
| Edgefield County | Bob Dole+64 | 3,64048.6% | 3,57647.8% | 260.3% | 7,486 |
| Fairfield County | Bill Clinton+2,305 | 2,41432.3% | 4,71963.1% | 590.8% | 7,476 |
| Florence County | Bob Dole+2,686 | 18,49051.3% | 15,80443.8% | 2130.6% | 36,070 |
| Georgetown County | Bill Clinton+1,275 | 7,02342.9% | 8,29850.7% | 810.5% | 16,352 |
| Greenville County | Bob Dole+29,605 | 71,21059.1% | 41,60534.5% | 8440.7% | 120,420 |
| Greenwood County | Bob Dole+672 | 8,86548.8% | 8,19345.1% | 1200.7% | 18,163 |
| Hampton County | Bill Clinton+2,717 | 2,11128.9% | 4,82866.0% | 340.5% | 7,317 |
| Horry County | Bob Dole+2,437 | 26,15947.9% | 23,72243.4% | 3260.6% | 54,653 |
| Jasper County | Bill Clinton+2,029 | 2,02431.3% | 4,05362.7% | 430.7% | 6,468 |
| Kershaw County | Bob Dole+1,749 | 8,51352.1% | 6,76441.4% | 810.5% | 16,354 |
| Lancaster County | Bill Clinton+1,208 | 7,54442.0% | 8,75248.7% | 630.4% | 17,957 |
| Laurens County | Bob Dole+1,002 | 8,05748.7% | 7,05542.6% | 940.6% | 16,547 |
| Lee County | Bill Clinton+1,615 | 1,97333.4% | 3,58860.7% | 270.5% | 5,908 |
| Lexington County | Bob Dole+20,751 | 39,65863.2% | 18,90730.1% | 4520.7% | 62,720 |
| Marion County | Bill Clinton+2,764 | 3,59534.4% | 6,35960.8% | 1411.3% | 10,451 |
| Marlboro County | Bill Clinton+3,200 | 2,14826.8% | 5,34866.6% | 370.5% | 8,027 |
| McCormick County | Bill Clinton+754 | 1,10435.4% | 1,85859.5% | 130.4% | 3,123 |
| Newberry County | Bob Dole+866 | 5,67050.5% | 4,80442.8% | 760.7% | 11,232 |
| Oconee County | Bob Dole+3,105 | 10,50352.6% | 7,39837.1% | 900.5% | 19,952 |
| Orangeburg County | Bill Clinton+8,116 | 10,49434.6% | 18,61061.4% | 990.3% | 30,315 |
| Pickens County | Bob Dole+8,782 | 17,15161.5% | 8,36930.0% | 1690.6% | 27,900 |
| Richland County | Bill Clinton+13,130 | 39,09241.1% | 52,22254.8% | 7580.8% | 95,230 |
| Saluda County | Bob Dole+339 | 2,82549.6% | 2,48643.6% | 180.3% | 5,700 |
| Spartanburg County | Bob Dole+9,158 | 35,97253.5% | 26,81439.9% | 5250.8% | 67,196 |
| Sumter County | Bill Clinton+118 | 12,08047.6% | 12,19848.0% | 1810.7% | 25,392 |
| Union County | Bill Clinton+1,552 | 3,85538.3% | 5,40753.8% | 440.4% | 10,055 |
| Williamsburg County | Bill Clinton+3,030 | 3,95734.8% | 6,98761.5% | 380.3% | 11,357 |
| York County | Bob Dole+5,349 | 22,22252.3% | 16,87339.7% | 2550.6% | 42,523 |
Nominees: Bill Clinton (D) · Bob Dole (R) · Ross Perot (Reform)
South Carolina's presidential margins
1892–2024, the 1996 contest in context
| Year | Margin (D minus R) |
|---|---|
| 1892 | +58.6% |
| 1896 | +71.8% |
| 1900 | +86.0% |
| 1904 | +90.8% |
| 1908 | +87.8% |
| 1912 | +95.9% |
| 1916 | +94.3% |
| 1920 | +92.1% |
| 1924 | +94.3% |
| 1928 | +82.9% |
| 1932 | +98.0% |
| 1936 | +98.6% |
| 1940 | +91.3% |
| 1944 | +83.2% |
| 1948 | +20.4% |
| 1952 | +1.4% |
| 1956 | +20.2% |
| 1960 | +2.5% |
| 1964 | −17.8% |
| 1968 | −8.5% |
| 1972 | −42.7% |
| 1976 | +13.1% |
| 1980 | −1.5% |
| 1984 | −28.0% |
| 1988 | −23.9% |
| 1992 | −8.1% |
| 1996 | −6.0% |
| 2000 | −15.9% |
| 2004 | −17.1% |
| 2008 | −9.0% |
| 2012 | −10.5% |
| 2016 | −14.3% |
| 2020 | −11.7% |
| 2024 | −17.9% |
Same ballot, 1996SC
Source. MIT Election Data + Science Lab — 1996 presidential returns · official county-level results. Real returns — nothing estimated.