Candidate Filing Information

The filing period for all persons desiring to run as candidates in the City of Charleston’s Municipal General Election to be held on November 5, 2019, will open on Monday, August 5, 2019, at 12:00 Noon and will close on Monday, August 19, 2019, at 12:00 Noon.

Any person desiring to file as a candidate for the office of Mayor, City Council for District 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11, or Commissioner of Public Works must file a Statement of Candidacy and the appropriate filing fee during this filing period.

Filing will be conducted at the City of Charleston Legal Department, 50 Broad Street, Charleston, SC 29401, (843) 724-3730, during the following hours:

August 5th     12:00 Noon – 5:00 P.M.
August 6th – August 9th    9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
August 12th – August 16th    9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
August 19th     9:00 A.M. – 12:00 Noon

View the full City of Charleston Election Commission Municipal General Election Information here.


Click the tabs below to view filing instructions and Statement of Candidacy documents for the Offices of Mayor, City Council and Commissioners of Public Works.

  1. Mayor
  2. City Council
  3. Commissioner of Public Works

Instructions to candidates filing for Office of Mayor

Please Complete and provide the following:

  • Statement of Candidacy (available to download here)
  • Check in the amount of $1,000.00 for filing fee made payable to The City of Charleston
  • Copy of Voter Registration Card, Driver's License or Valid State of S.C. Identification reflecting current address

Pursuant to the South Carolina State Ethics Commission and Pursuant to State Law, please note:

The Statement of Economic Interests and the Campaign Disclosure forms MUST be filed electronically with the State Ethics Commission.

The filing of a Statement of Economic Interests form is not a requirement to run for office but must be filed prior to taking the oath of office.

The forms, requirements and filing instructions are available from the State Ethics Commission: http://ethics.sc.gov. For any questions regarding the Statement of Economic Interests and Campaign Disclosure, please contact the State Ethics Commission (see below).

State Ethics Commission
201 Executive Center Drive, Suite 150
Columbia, SC 29210
(803) 253-4192
http://ethics.sc.gov


Download Statement of Candidacy for Office of Mayor