With election deadline approaching, some York County races still lack candidates

With deadlines looming for candidates to file for November’s elections, some towns in York County are still lacking candidates to fill some crucial municipal offices.

In Smyrna, the state’s smallest municipality with just 45 residents, no candidates have filed to run for mayor on Nov. 3, and only three people are running for four at-large Town Council seats with 48 hours to go before filing closes.

Two Town Council seats each are still open in Clover and McConnells, with time running out for anyone to jump into the race.

All candidates must file by 5 p.m. Friday for municipal offices in Clover, Hickory Grove, McConnells, Smyrna, Tega Cay and York. Candidates in Fort Mill have an even earlier deadline. Because of how the town has worded its election ordinance, all candidates for mayor or the Town Council must file by noon Friday, said Allen Helms, deputy director of York County’s Elections and Voter Registration Office.

While voters may have no choices in some races, others will be faced with competitive races for local offices. In Fort Mill, two members of the Town Council, Tom Adams and Guynn Savage, are vying to replace the retiring Danny Funderburk as mayor.

York will see a repeat contest between incumbent Mayor Eddie Lee and retired firefighter Dan Warren, who previously challenged Lee in 2011. In McConnells, James F. Love Jr and Sonny Metker are competing to replace Mayor John Harshaw, who died in office last month after leading the small town for 21 years.

If nobody files for the open offices by the end of the day Friday, voters still will be asked to go to the polls and cast a write-in vote, which will duly elect any name that receives the most votes – even if it’s only one.

In elections where only one candidate has filed, state law says that candidate is deemed elected and will win office without a vote being cast, unless another candidate declares a write-in campaign during a 14-day grace period after filing ends.

For candidates for the Rock Hill City Council, where filing ended Aug. 21 with only one contested race out of three wards, that period also ends at 5 p.m. Friday.

“If (a write-in candidate) comes in, we give them the same material as a regular candidate, just so we have their name and provide them with the same information,” said Helms of the elections office. “The only difference is they won’t get their names listed on the ballot.”

Rock Hill will hold its city elections on Oct. 20. All other votes will be held on Nov. 3, the same date all York County residents will be asked to vote in a county bond referendum no matter where they live.

Candidates for all seats should file at the Board of Voter Registration and Elections of York County, 13 S. Congress St., York.

This story was originally published September 2, 2015 at 4:40 PM with the headline "With election deadline approaching, some York County races still lack candidates."