Candidate filing for most contests in 2022 elections will resume at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 24, and end at 12:00 noon on Friday March 4, under an order issued on January 11 by the Superior Court of Wake County. The order by a three-judge panel upheld state legislative and congressional district maps being challenged in redistricting-related lawsuits.
Each person seeking to become a candidate must file a notice of candidacy form and pay the filing fee with the proper board of elections. The filing fee is generally 1 percent of the office’s base salary. Filing fees over $50 must be paid by check. If paying with cash, correct change is required. Candidates for State Senator, State House Representative, and all county and local offices must file their notice of candidacy with their county board of elections. Candidates for Federal offices, Superior Court Judge, District Court Judge, and District Attorney must file their notice of candidacy with the State Board of Elections.
No one is permitted to file as a candidate in a party primary unless he or she has been affiliated with that party for at least 90 days as of the date of that person’s filing of notice of candidacy. A person registered as “unaffiliated” is ineligible to file as a candidate in a partisan primary election. Alexander County Board of Education contests are non-partisan and not subject to party affiliation requirements.
Effective in 2021, candidates for sheriff may not file for candidacy if they have been convicted of a felony, even if the felony was expunged. Before filing, candidates must complete several forms and a disclosure statement verifying that they have had no prior felony convictions or expungements. Forms can be found on the North Carolina Sheriff’s Education and Training Standards Commission website.
The date of the General Election is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. To determine the party nominees for certain contests, there is a primary election on Tuesday, May 17, 2022.
For more information about filing, visit the NC State Board of Elections website at www.ncsbe.gov. You may also call the Alexander County Board of Elections office at 828-632-2990, send an email to elections@alexandercountync.gov, or visit www.alexandercountync.gov/departments/board-of-elections.