County election fields fill out ahead of May primary
No new candidates picked up petitions this past week to run in the Anderson County May 5 Republican primary or the Aug. 8 general election this year, but more who had earlier picked up petitions have now filed them.
Of the main countywide positions up for election this year, only incumbent County Trustee Regina Copeland had not yet filed as of Tuesday, although she had picked up a petition on Dec. 22.
The candidates, including two seeking the Republican nomination for Anderson County mayor, began filing for the various county positions when registration officially opened Dec. 22, with the primary election coming up May 5. Filing deadline is Feb. 19.
District 3 Commissioner Joshua Anderson has filed to run against incumbent Mayor Terry Frank in the GOP primary.
Frank was the first candidate for any county office to pick up and file a petition to run, seeking re-election to the post she has held since Seept. 1, 2012.
The mayor serves a four-year term, but Frank was initially elected to fill out the two years remaining on the term of her predecessor, who resigned mid-term. She was re-elected to four-year terms in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
Candidates have picked up petitions to run in all eight commission districts in the primary, according to the Anderson County Election Commission.
Four candidates have picked up petitions for the Republican nomination for county sheriff, including incumbent Russell Barker and challengers Carl Bailey, David G. Davis and Colt Jennings.
But of those four, only Barker and Jennings had filed their petitions as of Tuesday morning.
So far, only the incumbents have picked up petitions for the other five countywide positions in the primary: Rex Lynch for Circuit Court clerk (filed), Regina Copeland for county trustee, Jeff Cole for county clerk (filed), Tim Shelton for register of deeds (filed), and Gary Long for road superintendent (filed).
Property Assessor John Alley’s position is not on this year’s ballot, nor are any of the judgeships.
There are 16 County Commission seats open, with two seats in each district. So far, there are at least two candidates who have picked up petitions to run in each of the eight districts.
Four of the eight county School Board district seats are up for election this year, for a four-year term.
The open seats are in School Board Districts,1, 2, 6 and 7.
Petitions have been picked up for all four of the open seats, but two of those candidates – in Districts 6 and 7 – are running as independents and will be only on the general election ballot on Aug. 6. The other two districts have candidates running in the Republican primary May 5.
Candidates who have picked up petitions or (filed) for County Commission (two seats open per district) as of Monday are:
• District 1 – Chad McNabb (filed), Raymond Neil Phillips (filed), Tracy L. Wandell (filed).
• District 2 – Michael Y. Foster (filed), Lucas Heaton, Denise Palmer, Tina Graham Targonski (filed).
• District 3 – Shannon Gray (filed), Shelley Vandagriff (filed).
• District 4 – Richard Constanzo, Tim Isbel, J. Shain Vowell, Amy Jones (none filed yet).
• District 5 – Martin “Marty” May, Robert McKamey (filed), Jeff Pack (filed), Karin Martin Partin (filed), Barbara Vickery (filed).
• District 6 -- Anthony Allen, Ebony M. Capshaw, Derek Guy, Aaron Wells (filed).
• District 7 – Sabra Beauchamp, Sharon Bourgeois Capshaw (filed), Nathan Mullins, Steve Verran, Kevin Craig.
• District 8 – Jawrell Cook (filed), Don A. Layton; Phil Yeager -- independent, Aug. 8 ballot only (filed).
School Board candidates who have picked up petitions or (filed):
• District 1 – James W. Wells III, Jo Williams (filed).
• District 2 – Katherine Birkbeck (filed), Debra Heaton.
• District 6 – Scott Gillenwaters, independent, Aug. 6 ballot only (filed).
• District 7 – Don A. Bell, independent, Aug. 6 ballot (filed).
To get on the ballot for either the May 5 primary or the Aug. 6 general election, candidates must get signatures of at least 25 registered voters on their individual petitions, and for district seats, those voters must be residents of the particular district, county Elections Administrator Mark Stephens said.
Early voting for the May 5 primary election will be held April 15-30, while early voting for the Aug. 6 general election will run from July 17-Aug. 1.
