Several municipal incumbents in Clarendon County appear poised to retain their seats in upcoming local elections after candidate filing closed earlier this month without any challengers entering the races.
According to candidate filing information from the South Carolina Election Commission (SCEC), filing for municipal offices opened at noon Jan. 22 and closed at noon Feb. 2. With no additional candidates filing during that period, several races in the Town of Summerton and the City of Manning feature only incumbent candidates on the ballot.
In Summerton, Mayor Keith Bowman is the sole candidate who filed for mayor. Three Summerton Town Council incumbents — LeAnn Berry, Jazlynn Bowman and Elaine Wood — also filed for re-election without opposition.
In Manning, three City Council seats are on the ballot, each currently held by an incumbent who filed unopposed. Dianne Georgia filed for Manning City Council District 2, Ervin Davis filed for District 3, and Julius Dukes filed for District 5.
The municipal election is scheduled for Tuesday, Apr. 7.
Because filing has closed, any additional candidates seeking to run must do so through a write-in campaign. According to SCEC, write-in candidates are not required to submit filing forms or pay filing fees, but they must notify the authority conducting the election in writing that they intend to run as a write-in candidate.
Election officials note that write-in votes are not permitted in political party primaries or for presidential and vice presidential races. For municipal elections, voters may cast write-in votes by manually entering a candidate’s name on voting machines or writing the name on paper ballots. The use of stickers or stamps is prohibited, and the candidate’s name must be handwritten by the voter or an authorized assistant.
Early voting for the municipal election will be held Mar. 23 through Apr. 3, Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Clarendon County Voter Registration and Elections Office, located at 3 S. Church St. in Manning.
