Absentee voting kicks off in Rock Hill elections, York Co. filing ends Friday

Rock Hill residents can vote absentee starting this week for the city’s mayor and city council elections.

Absentee voting for Rock Hill’s mayor and city council seats in Ward 4, 5 and 6 is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday until Oct. 16 at the Office of the Board of Voter Registration and Elections of York County at 13 S. Congress St., York. The official Election Day is Oct. 17.

Voters must bring one of the following photo identifications:

▪  S.C. driver’s license

▪  S.C. DMV ID card or S.C. Concealed Weapons Permit

▪  Federal Military ID

▪  U.S. passport or Veterans Affairs card

▪  S.C. Voter Registration Card with photo, which can be obtained at the York County Elections Office

Three candidates are running to become mayor following Doug Echols’ decision to step down after 20 years of service.

Rock Hill’s new leader will emerge from a three-way race between Rock Hill Sports Commission chair John Gettys, York County Councilman William “Bump” Roddey and veteran landscape architect Duane Christopher.

Three candidates have registered to run for the Ward 5 seat on Rock Hill City Council. Incumbent Ann Williamson faces challengers Nikita Jackson and Brandon Smith.

Ward 5 represents the southernmost portion of Rock Hill, including neighborhoods throughout Albright Road and Saluda Street. The ward also stretches into downtown Rock Hill, including parts of Main Street.

John Black is the lone candidate for Ward 4, while Barrett Maners is challenging Jim Reno in Ward 6.

Sample ballots are available at scvotes.org/.

Write-in filing

The write-in filing period for all York County municipal elections ends Sept. 22.

According to state law, should only one person file for an office up for election and no other person files a declaration to be a write-in candidate within 14 days after filing closes, the sole candidate who filed for that office would be declared the winner.

At the end of filing, there was no competition in elections for

▪  Town of Fort Mill Ward 1

▪  City of York Wards 5 and 6

▪  Town of Hickory Grove

▪  Town of McConnells

To file as a write-in, candidates must declare by 5 p.m. Sept. 22 at the elections office in York.

For any municipal office with competition, other than the city of Rock Hill, elections are 7a.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 7.

Absentee voting in those elections begins Oct. 9.

For more information, call 803-684-1242 or 803-909-7194.

This story was originally published September 19, 2017 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Absentee voting kicks off in Rock Hill elections, York Co. filing ends Friday."