Columbia incumbents are unopposed on November ballot
Published 1:19 pm Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Not one of the town’s 264 registered voters came forward to challenge two incumbents seeking re-election to the Columbia Board of Aldermen.
Lloyd Armstrong and Sandra Owens were the only candidates to sign up for the two offices before the filing period ended July 19.
Armstrong is seeking a second four-year term, and Owens, currently senior member and mayor pro-tem, has been in office since 2007.
The municipal election is non-partisan, and all seats are at-large. However, unlike the limited voting imposed in county elections, electors may vote for both offices in the town election.
A voter may write in on the paper ballot the names of up to two other town residents. In the 2005 election here a write-in candidate came within three votes of unseating an incumbent.
You must be a resident of Columbia to vote in its elections.
The voter registration deadline is Oct. 11 for the upcoming election. Residents who desire to become voters can sign up at the elections office in the courthouse between 9 and 3 on any Monday, Wednesday or Friday, except holidays.
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Tyrrell Hall, 906 Hwy 64 East.
The other three Columbia aldermen are Hal Fleming, Suzanne Griffin, and Bryan Owens, and their four-year terms end in 2021.
Mayor James Cahoon’s four-year term ends in 2021 also. The town charter restricts the mayor to voting only when there is a tie among the aldermen.