Filing for Lexington County races that will be on locals' November 2025 ballots ended last week with 66 names in the running. There are 36 seats set to expire across Lexington County this year. 

Election Day is Nov. 4.

Some candidates across the races are running for more than one seat.

According to the South Carolina Election Commission, if a candidate currently holds an expiring term and wins that seat as well as an additional seat that candidate ran for, the candidate would choose which seat they want, and there would be a runoff for the seat they won but chose not to take up. 

If a person currently holds a seat that is not set to expire this year and is a candidate for a different seat that is set to expire this year, there would be a special election for the unexpired seat they currently hold if they win the other seat they ran for. 

There are also some races for which no one filed, such as in the Town of Gilbert. This may end up being costly for the town because it could result in additional elections. 

These seats would go to write-in candidates, but write-in candidates must also win with at least 51% of the vote (if the municipality has a majority rather than plurality ordinance), just as the candidates who filed must also win at least 51% of the vote. 

Runoff elections and special elections are very costly to towns and cities. 

Municipalities, however, still have time to amend their ordinances from majority to plurality systems if they wanted to. 

In short, a plurality system means the candidate with the most votes wins, necessitating only one election, whereas with a majority system, candidates must win at least 51% of the votes, or there must be a runoff election, which is pricy. 

Here is a comprehensive list of all the seats that are set to expire this year, as well as who filed to run for those seats: 

City of Cayce (council district seats one and three are on the ballot; District One is currently held by Tim James and District Three is currently held by Hunter Sox)

• Tiffany Aull is running for District One
• Ron Wright is running for District One
• Alice Rose is running for District Three
• Incumbent Hunter Sox is running for District Three

Town of Irmo (two council seats are on the ballot, currently held by Mayor Pro Tem Barb Waldman and Gabriel Penfield)

• Benjamin Battiste is running for town council
• George Frazier is running for town council
• Brandon Mundy is running for town council
• Incumbent Gabriel Penfield is running for town council
• Adam Raynor is running for town council
• Incumbent Barb Waldman is running for town council

Town of Lexington (three council seats are on the ballot, currently held by Gavin Smith, Todd Carnes and Mayor Pro Tem Ron Williams)

• Greg Brewer is running for town council
• Incumbent Todd Carnes is running for town council
• Doug Leonard is running for town council
• Incumbent Gavin Smith is running for town council
• Incumbent Ron Williams is running for town council

City of West Columbia (four council seats are on the ballot, including council district one, currently held by Mike Green; council district three, currently held by George M. Crowe; council district five, currently held by Mayor Pro Tem Mickey Pringle; and council district seven, currently held by Sarah Mattern)

• Incumbent Mike Green is running for District One
• Incumbent George M. Crowe is running for District Three
• Phyllis Cookie Holmes is running for District Five
• Kiaun Jaquez Moore is running for District Five
• Brad Robinson is running for District Five
• Incumbent Sarah Mattern is running for District Seven 

Town of Batesburg-Leesville (five council seats are on the ballot, including the mayoral seat, currently held by Lancer Shull; council district one, currently held by Barbara Brown; council district three, currently held by Stephen "Steve" Cain; council district five, currently held by Shirley E. Mitchell; council district seven, currently held by Jason Prouse)

• David W. Bouknight (currently holds the district two seat) is running for mayor
• Stephen "Steve" Cain (currently holds the district three seat) is running for mayor 
• Larry McConnaughhay is running for mayor 
• Greg Moseley is running for mayor 
• Incumbent Barbara Brown is running for District One
• Troy Teague is running for District One
• Bo Turner is running for District One
• Incumbent Stephen "Steve" Cain is running for District Three
• Tyler List is running for District Three
• Cathe Knox is running for District Five 
• Kathy McBride-Friederich is running for District Five
• Sheba Williams is running for District Five
• Natalie Gary is running for District Seven
• Joe Montgomery is running for District Seven 

Town of Chapin (the mayor's seat, currently held by Al Koon, is on the ballot, as well as two council seats, currently held by Gregg White and Leland Teal)

• Ron Colley is running for mayor 
• Incumbent Al Koon is running for mayor 
• Bill Mitchell Jr. is running for mayor 
• Ainslee Bost is running for town council 
• Warren C. Burritt Jr. is running for town council 
• Jerry Taylor is running for town council 
• Incumbent Gregg White is running for town council 

Town of Gilbert (the mayor's seat, currently held by John Reeder III, is on the ballot, as well as two council seats, currently held by Cory Rish and Patrick Carson)

• Incumbent John Reeder III is running for mayor 

Town of Pelion (the mayor's seat, currently held by Frank Shumpert, is on the ballot, as well as two council seats, currently held by Larry Sossamon and Chuck Ingle)

• John Elkin is running for mayor 
• Incumbent Frank Shumpert is running for mayor 
• Starr H. Corley  is running for town council
• Jan Green is running for town council
• Incumbent Chuck Ingle is running for town council
• Incumbent Larry Sossamon is running for town council

Town of Pine Ridge (the mayor's seat, currently held by Daniel Davis, is on the ballot, as well as two council seats, currently held by Mayor Pro Tem Scott Simms and Floyd Dinkins)

• Incumbent Daniel Davis is running for mayor 
• Michael H. Kyzer is running for town council
• Incumbent Scott Simms is running for town council

Town of Springdale (the mayor's seat, currently held by Juston Ricard, is on the ballot, as well as three council seats, currently held by Mayor Pro Tem Jacob R. Wilkerson, Tate Wilbourne and J. Kevin Reeley)

• Chad Owens is running for mayor 
• Incumbent Juston Ricard is running for mayor 
• Incumbent J. Kevin Reeley is running for town council
• Ben Vaughan is running for town council
• Incumbent Tate Wilbourne is running for town council
• Incumbent Jacob R. Wilkerson is running for town council

Town of Swansea (the mayor's seat, currently held by Viola McDaniel, is on the ballot, as well as the district one council seat, currently held by Mayor Pro Tem Linda Butler, and the district two council seat, currently held by Jerome Williams)

• Doris W. Simmons is running for mayor 
• Jerome Williams (currently holds the district two council seat) is running for mayor
• Angie Alley is running for District One
• Incumbent Linda Butler is running for District One
• Melissa Williams is running for District Two

Town of Summit (one council seat is open, currently held by Jennifer Seawright)

• Deborah S. Nye is running for town council
• Incumbent Jennifer Seawright is running for town council
• Felicia N. Wigfall is running for town council

Lexington County Council has no seats on the ballot this year. The towns of Gaston and South Congaree also have no seats set to expire this year. 

Early voting is from Monday, Oct. 20, to Friday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lexington County Voter Registration and Election Office, located at 605 West Main Street, Ste. C, in Lexington.

Municipal elections are managed and operated by the Lexington County Registration and Elections Office, not cities or towns.

The Lexington County Registration and Elections Office can be reached at 803-785-8361, and more information is available on the county’s website.

This story was updated on Aug. 20 to reflect that Larry McConnaughhay dropped out of the Batesburg-Leesville District One race, but he is still running for mayor.