Beaufort holding special election to fill mayor’s former council seat. When to vote
A special election will be held March 2 to fill an unexpired term on Beaufort City Council, the city announced Friday.
Whoever is elected will finish the remainder of Mayor Stephen Murray’s term, which ends in November 2022.
The seat was left vacant after Murray defeated Mike Sutton in the mayoral election to replace retiring Billy Keyserling after 12 years.
The Beaufort County Voter Registration Office is conducting the election, and there’s multiple deadlines for voter registration.
If voting in person, the registration deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29. If by online, email or fax, the deadline is 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31. If by mail, registration must be postmarked no later than Monday, Feb. 1.
Some precincts will vote at different polling locations than November’s election, and only voters residing in Beaufort city limits are eligible to vote in this special election.
The polling places for each precinct:
▪ Beaufort 1, Beaufort 2, and Beaufort 3: Charles L. Brown Activity Center at 1001 Hamar Street
▪ Burton 2C: Love House Ministries at 423 Parris Island Gateway
▪ Burton 3, Seabrook 3, and Sheldon 1: Beaufort County Public Works at 120 Shanklin Road
▪ Lady’s Island 1B and Lady’s Island 3B: Lady’s Island Elementary School Gymnasium at 73 Chowan Creek Bluff Road
▪ Mossy Oaks 1A: Cornerstone Christian Church at 2301 First Boulevard
▪ Mossy Oaks 1B: Beaufort Middle School at 2501 Mossy Oaks Road
▪ Mossy Oaks 2: Mossy Oaks Elementary School at 2510 Mossy Oaks Road
Candidate filing opens at noon Tuesday, Jan. 5, and closes at noon, Friday, Jan. 15. The filing fee is $150, and packets can be picked up at City Hall or downloaded from the city’s website the day filing opens.
The newly elected City Council member will take office on Tuesday, March 9, joining Mayor Murray and council members Neil Lipsitz, Mitch Mitchell and Philip Cromer.
The Beaufort City Council is made up of four council members and a mayor, all elected at-large to four-year terms. All have the same voting power during regular public meetings. The council sets city policy, passes an annual budget, guides planning priorities and oversees the city manager to carry out directives and day-to-day city operations.
This story was originally published December 18, 2020 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Beaufort holding special election to fill mayor’s former council seat. When to vote."
