No Surry candidates yet

Published 9:39 am Friday, May 6, 2022

Not a single candidate for Surry’s, Dendron’s or Claremont’s town council elections had filed as of May 5 to be on the November ballot, according to Surry County’s registrar’s office.

Nor have any candidates filed for the available Carsley District seat on the Surry County Board of Supervisors.

Less than two months remain for anyone interested to do so. The filing deadline is June 21.

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All three towns have mayoral elections. Claremont and Surry each also have five town council seats available. Dendron has six available town council seats.

The Carsley District race, which will be a special election, was prompted by former Supervisor Ronald Howell Jr.’s abrupt resignation from the board in April, only a few months into his first elected term.

Candidates for the supervisor seat must collect and submit a Virginia Department of Elections petition bearing the signatures of 125 registered Carsley District voters, as well as other documentation, to the county’s registrar’s office. For the town races, no petition is needed since all have fewer than 1,500 residents, but other documentation is still required.

In addition to the local races, U.S. Rep. A. Donald McEachin, a Democrat, will have a rematch with his Republican challenger from 2020, Leon Benjamin Sr. There will be no June primary in Surry, since McEachin and Benjamin are both unopposed within their own parties, according to the registrar’s office.