Mullins mayoral candidate drops out of race because of past felony conviction

MULLINS, S.C. (WBTW) — A Mullins mayoral candidate had to drop out of the race because of a past felony conviction.

Willie C. Williams, who filed on Aug. 12 to run in the Mullins mayoral race, told News13 he dropped out of the race. The decision comes because of a past felony conviction that he was released from prison for in 2013.

News13 obtained Williams’ “statement of intention of candidacy” form, which says “The S.C. Constitution prohibits a person who has been convicted of a felony from filing for public office for 15 years after the completion of the sentence, including probation and parole time, unless previously pardoned.”

News13 reached out to Marion County election officials last week about the situation. At the time, officials told us they were aware of the situation, saying “we are gathering information and speaking with the State Election Commission and our attorney to see how to proceed.”

News13 also reached out to the South Carolina State Election Commission on Aug. 21. Despite emails and calls, we still have not heard back from state officials about the situation.

However, we did receive an auto-email reply that said “we are receiving higher than normal correspondence and will respond as soon as possible.”

Two others have filed to run for Mullins mayor, including Miko Pickett and Pam Anderson.

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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