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Elections

November 7, 2017

The Municipal Election Commission of the City of Columbia announces the general election for the City of Columbia to be held on Tuesday, November 7, 2017.

The following offices shall be included in the November 7, 2017 Municipal Election for terms ending December 31, 2021:

Mayor
District I Council Member
District IV Council Member
At-Large Council Member

Candidate Listing

Citizens desiring to be candidates for one of the above listed offices must pay the required fee and file a Statement of Intention of Candidacy with the City Clerk, 3rd floor, City Hall, 1737 Main Street, Columbia, South Carolina. Books will be open for filing on Monday, August 14, 2017 at noon, and remain open during regular business hours (8:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.) until Friday, September 8, 2017 at noon. No Statement of Intention of Candidacy will be accepted after noon on Friday, September 8, 2017.

The filing fee for the office of Mayor is $1,000.00
The filing fee for the office of Council is $530.00.
This is a nonpartisan election and no party affiliation shall be placed on the ballot.

Getting Ready to Vote

Verify Your Council District

People desiring to vote in the upcoming election must be registered by October 7, 2017. To register, one must contact the County Board of Voter Registration.

Voter Registration: There is no length of residency requirement in South Carolina in order to register to vote. You must be registered at least 30 days prior to any election in order to vote in that election. Registration by mail applications must be postmarked at least 30 days prior to that particular election to be eligible.To register, contact the Richland County Elections & Voter Registration Office at (803)576.2240 or visit 2020 Hampton Street, Columbia, SC 29202. Online voter registration is available at www.scvotes.org.

Voter ID Law (Printer friendly version ): State law requires you to provide a photo ID at the polls. Free Photo IDs are provided at the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Richland County Voter Registration Office.

Failsafe Voting: Failsafe voting is designed to allow registered voters of Richland County (and two precincts in Lexington*) who have moved into the City of Columbia, but failed to update their address, to update their address on Election Day and vote.

Student Voting: College Students may register to vote where they reside while attending college. Students must register at the physical address of their dormitory. Students can use the following documents as proof of residency:

a copy of a current, valid photo ID (driver's license, student ID, DMV-issued ID cards, etc.)
copy of a bank statement, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address in the county

Convicted Felons: Any person who is convicted of a felony or an offense against the election laws is not qualified to register or to vote, unless the disqualification has been removed by service of the sentence, or unless sooner pardoned. Service of sentence includes completion of any prison/jail time, probation, parole, and payment of restitution.

Once a person who was convicted of a felony or offense against the election laws serves his sentence; he may register to vote. To register, the applicant must submit a new voter registration application to his county voter registration office. To participate in any particular election, the applicant must submit the application prior to the 30-day voter registration deadline for that election. In applying, the registrant is swearing under penalty of perjury that he is qualified to register, including having completed his entire sentence. County voter registration boards must be satisfied that the applicant meets the qualifications; and in some cases, could require a person who has lost his voting rights due to conviction to provide some proof that he has completed his sentence.