Candidate filing for 14 seats across York County’s four school boards opens at noon Monday, August 3rd and closes at noon Monday, Aug. 17th. None of the races carry a filing fee.
The seats are nonpartisan, meaning no party label appears beside a candidate’s name on the ballot and there is no primary. Every candidate who qualifies goes straight to the Nov. 3 general election.
School boards hire and evaluate superintendents, adopt the annual budgets that drive the school portion of local property tax bills, approve construction and attendance zone changes, and set district policy. Trustees serve terms of four years, staggered so that only a portion of each board turns over in a given cycle.
Seats on the ballot
York School District One has Seats 2 and 4 and one at large seat open.
Clover School District Two has the most seats in play alongside Fort Mill, with Seats 1, 2 and 5 and one at large seat open.
Rock Hill School District Three has Seats 2 and 4 and one at large seat open.
Fort Mill School District Four has four at large seats open.
Where and how to file
Filing is done in person at the Board of Voter Registration and Elections of York County, Level 1, Suite 1201 of the York County Government Center at 6 South Congress Street in York.
Candidates complete a Statement of Intention of Candidacy Nonpartisan form. The form must be signed in front of an election official or notarized beforehand. A candidate does not have to appear in person if the form is fully completed, signed and notarized, because an agent may deliver it on the candidate’s behalf.
All candidates must also file a Statement of Economic Interests electronically with the South Carolina State Ethics Commission, and some will be required to file campaign disclosure reports. Failure to file with the Ethics Commission can bring fines but does not affect ballot access.
Who can run
Under Article VI, Section 1 of the South Carolina Constitution, a candidate must be a registered voter in the geographic area the office represents. A person convicted of a felony or an offense against the election laws cannot file for or hold office until 15 years have passed since the sentence was completed, unless the person has been pardoned.
The county elections office posts filed candidates and their filing documents in a public candidate tracker as they come in.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
