More candidates entering Sumter school board races; pool up to 18 for 9 seats, expect more as Monday filing deadline nears

After a bevy of activity on the first day of filing last week for Sumter school board elections, candidates have only trickled in since then, but expect another rush as Monday's deadline approaches.

That is the thought process of Pat Jefferson, Sumter County Voter Registration and Elections Office director, on the two-week filing period after 13 candidates filed on Day 1 to serve on Sumter School District's Board of Trustees and just five more have put their names in the hat since.

Today, Friday and Monday until noon remain in the filing period. All nine seats are 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 separate, single-member districts.

Jefferson said some people always wait until just before a deadline to file as a candidate in races.

Individuals filing after the first day to date include incumbents Johnny Hilton (District 3) and Matthew "Mac" McLeod (District 6) and challengers Brittany English (District 2), Leon Winn (District 4) and Shery Smith (District 7).

To date, five of the nine incumbents have filed, but expect at least two more before the deadline. Current trustees Brian Alston (District 1) and Shawn Ragin (District 5) told The Sumter Item in mid-July that they were running. (Currently, no one at all has filed for the District 5 seat.)

Among board members, that leaves Chairwoman Barbara Jackson (District 7) and Sherril Ray (District 8) remaining. Both said they were "undecided" last month.

All seats are nonpartisan races.

One result of redrawing districts was that two current trustees, Lee and Jackson, now live in District 7 and no incumbents live in District 9. Only Bonnie Disney, a former board member appointed by the Sumter County legislative delegation in 2017, has filed for that open seat.

To date, one district - District 1 - has four candidates on the ballot so far. Three district races have three candidates who have filed. One district has two candidates to date, and three races just have a single candidate.

The filing period began Aug. 1 at noon and concludes Monday at noon.

To run for the school board, candidates must file at the county voter registration office, 141 N. Main St., in the old Sumter County Courthouse. There is no filing fee to run for a school board seat. The office's hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The November midterm general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8.