Filing for Sumter mayor, city council elections opens Monday, July 15

With ballots set for elections featuring candidates running behind a party, the last piece to the Nov. 5 general election is local nonpartisan races.

In Sumter, that includes the mayor and three city council seats as well as four seats on the Sumter School District Board of Trustees.

Filing for the mayor and city council seats begins July 15 at noon and is open through July 31 at noon. Those wishing to run for any of those seats must file with Sumter City Clerk Linda Hammett at the Sumter Opera House, 21 N. Main St. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (803) 436-2578 for additional information or to make an appointment.

Candidates are required to fill out a Statement of Intention of Candidacy Form, which can be found in the "Candidate Information" section of www.scvotes.gov, at the county election office and at the city clerk's office.

Candidates are also required to file a Statement of Economic Interest and a Campaign Disclosure online with the State Ethics Commission at http://ethics.sc.gov. Failure to file these documents may result in a candidate fine but will not disqualify a candidate from election.

Mayor David Merchant announced in March that he is running for reelection. He will be seeking his second term in the city's top role after serving on city council since 2012. He was elected as mayor in 2020.

Council seats up for election in November are Ward 2, held by James B. Blassingame, Ward 4, held by Steve H. Corley, and Ward 6, held by Gifford M. Shaw.

SCHOOL BOARD

Filing for the school board seats will take place Aug. 1 at noon through Aug. 15 at noon. Those wishing to run for these seats must file with Patricia Jefferson at the Sumter County Voter Registration and Elections Office, 129 E. Liberty St. Office hours at 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (803) 436-2310 or (803) 436-2312.

The four school board seats up for election are Daniel P. Palumbo's District 1 seat, Brittany English's District 2 seat, Shery White's District 7 seat and Bonnie S. Disney's District 9 seat.

All nine school board districts were redrawn and up for election after 2020 Census redistricting and a law change from a few years ago that expanded the board from seven single-member districts and two at-large seats to nine single-member districts for the 2022 election.

If a runoff is necessary after the Nov. 5 election, it will be held Nov. 19.