Write-in candidate to get school board spot

BEAUFORT -- Scott Marshall doesn't know when Beaufort County voters last faced an election in which no candidate's name appeared on the ballot for an open seat.

Nobody else in his office remembers, either.

"It's not a real common occurrence in Beaufort County," said Marshall, executive director of the Beaufort County Board of Elections and Voter Registration. "I don't have anyone on staff that can remember that happening."

But it will Nov. 2.

The only person who filed to represent Hilton Head Island's District 2 on the Beaufort County Board of Education did not have enough valid signatures to make the ballot.

That means the election probably will be won by a write-in candidate. A space will be on the ballot to write in any name, and the candidate who receives the most votes will win.

Julie Bell, who filed for the seat, said she hopes to win as a write-in candidate. She thought she had submitted enough signatures to get her name on the ballot, but about 50 of them were invalid. Signatures must be from registered voters who live in the candidate's district.

Although write-in elections are unusual in Beaufort County, they do occur in other places throughout the state, said Chris Whitmire, spokesman for the State Election Commission. Whitmire said that in those situations, it's best if people declare themselves as write-in candidates and campaign for the seat. That reduces the likelihood of a few votes for several different candidates, which could result in a tie, or electing someone who doesn't want to serve or isn't qualified.

Historically, write-in spaces have inspired voters to cast ballots for nonsense candidates, such as Mickey Mouse. Marshall recalls seeing a write-in vote for "a box of rocks" in a recent municipal election.