Some precincts set to change for Tuesday’s Columbia city election
Voters in a handful of precincts will cast ballots in new locations in the Tuesday, Nov. 2, Columbia municipal election, which includes races for mayor, an at-large seat, District 1 and District 4.
The city of Columbia Election Commission and Richland County Office of Elections and Voter Registration announced the changes. They are:
▪ Ward 1, formerly located at the Lourie Senior Center, is now combined with Ward 33 at Martin Luther King Park, 2300 Greene St.
▪ Ward 2, formerly located at the Marion Street Apartments, is now located at Main Street United Methodist Church, 1830 Main St.
▪ Ward 31 remains at Hyatt Park Elementary in the gym, 4200 N. Main Street
▪ Harbison 2, formerly located at New Heights Baptist Church, is now combined with Harbison 1 at Harbison Community Center, 106 Hillpine Road.
▪ Riverside, formerly located at Virginia Wingard Methodist Church, is now combined with St. Andrews at St. Andrews Middle, 1231 Bluefield Drive.
▪ South Beltline, formerly at Sherwood Forest Presbyterian Church, is moving to the Midlands Technical College Beltline Campus Student Center.
Polling places across the city will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 2.
In-person absentee voting is taking place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, and Monday, Nov. 1 at 2020 Hampton St. and 2011 Hampton St. There also will be in-person absentee voting from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30 at 2020 Hampton St.
Four Columbia races will be on the municipal ballot.
Candidates for mayor include former District 3 City Councilman Moe Baddourah; at-large City Councilman Tameika Isaac Devine; Sam Johnson, a former aide to Mayor Steve Benjamin; and District 4 City Councilman Daniel Rickenmann.
Seven hopefuls are vying for an at-large seat on Council. The candidates include attorney Tyler Bailey, IT professional Heather Bauer, public health researcher Dr. Aditi Bussells, attorney John Crangle, environmental lobbyist Deitra Matthews, photographer Aaron Smalls and activist John Tyler. At-large seats are elected citywide.
In District 1, which is in the northern section of the city, two hopefuls are seeking the seat that has been held for 23 years by departing Councilman Sam Davis. Those candidates are attorney Tina Herbert, who once led the city’s Office of Business Opportunities, and Christa Williams, an officer with the South Carolina Department of Corrections and member of the South Carolina Army National Guard.
And in District 4, in the northeast part of the city, businessman and former state Secretary of Commerce Joe Taylor is the only candidate on the ballot, and will likely secure the seat.
To read more about the city elections, visit www.thestate.com/voter-guide.
This story was originally published October 29, 2021 at 12:40 PM.
