Bluffton Town Council election set for Nov. 4; candidate filing opens Aug. 8

The Town of Bluffton will hold its municipal general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, with voters choosing two at-large Town Council members. The seats currently held by Councilmembers Fred Hamilton and Emily Burden are up for election.

Candidate filing
Filing for candidates opens at noon on Friday, Aug. 8, and closes at noon on Friday, Sept. 8. Late filings will not be accepted.

All Bluffton municipal elections are nonpartisan, and all seats are elected at-large. Bluffton operates under a Council-Manager form of government, with four council members and a mayor. Council members serve four-year staggered terms and are compensated $17,000 annually, while the mayor earns $25,000.

To qualify, candidates must be registered voters residing within the Town of Bluffton. Prospective candidates are required to complete the Statement of Intention of Candidacy – Nonpartisan Form, which is available online through the South Carolina Election Commission at scvotes.gov.

The town recommends that candidates schedule an appointment with Town Clerk Marcia Hunter to submit their completed form, a valid government-issued ID, voter registration card, and the $100 filing fee in person at 20 Bridge Street. Hunter can be reached at mhunter@townofbluffton.com or by phone at 843-706-4505.

Candidates are also required to file campaign finance forms with the South Carolina Ethics Commission, available at ethics.sc.gov. A candidate packet with additional instructions will be provided upon filing.

If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for the two council seats, a runoff election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 18. The runoff method is based on the total number of votes cast divided by the number of seats, then divided in half to determine a majority threshold, in accordance with the South Carolina Code of Laws and Town of Bluffton ordinances.

Voter registration

To vote in the November election, residents must be registered by the deadlines below:

• Online, email or fax registration must be completed at least 30 days prior to the election.
• Mailed registrations must be postmarked at least 30 days prior to Election Day.

Beaufort County’s Board of Voter Registration and Elections offices are located at 15 John Galt Road in Beaufort and at the Myrtle Park Government Center, 4819 Bluffton Parkway in Bluffton. The Bluffton office is open only on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m., in Room 138.

To check voter registration status, confirm a precinct or polling place, visit bcgov.net/vote or call 843-255-6900.

Only residents within Bluffton’s incorporated boundaries may vote in the election. To verify residency status, visit the town’s “Am I in Bluffton?” map at townofbluffton.us/bluffton.