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Petitions

Instructions for Filing Petitions in North Carolina

Purpose of Petitions - Petitions are used to place candidates and issues upon ballots.

Creating Petitions - Before you begin distributing a petition, you need to be aware of the laws governing your particular petition, as well as general provisions pertaining to petitions in North Carolina. This web site guides you through the process and provides statutes and petition templates. These templates conform to requirements listed in the General Statutes.

We encourage you to contact the State Board of Elections or your County Board of Elections if you have any questions. If you follow the steps listed below and use the petition templates provided, you should encounter few problems in processing your petition.

Before you begin, make sure you have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed to read the statutes and forms. If you do not have this application installed on your computer, go to Adobe's web site and follow their instructions to download a free copy.

Now, follow these links and instructions:

  1. Laws governing petitions in general.
  2. Specific Statues for Petitions
  3. List of Petition Forms  - When you select your petition form, print a copy and reproduce as many copies as you need to gather required signatures.
  4. Petition Signature Requirements  - Contact information to obtain the number of signatures that you will need.
  5. If the petition is a statewide petition or involves a district spanning more than one county, notify the State Board of Elections of your intention to file by completing the Petition Request Form and using one of the following methods:
    fax it to (919)715-0135
    or send via E-MAIL
    or mail to: Deputy Director of Administration, NC State Board of Elections, PO Box 27255, Raleigh, NC 27603
    For offices that are in a single county or for a district entirely within a single county, the Petition Request Form and all materials should be submitted to the local County Board of Elections.
    Download Petition Request Form in PDF Format or Microsoft Word Format
  6. Gather signatures. File your petition with the County Board of Elections where the voters who sign are registered. Use one set of petition forms for each county. If a voter does not reside in the county, municipality, or township for which the petition is filed, his or her signature will not be counted. Note also that persons cannot sign the petition for anyone other than himself or herself.
  7. The appropriate County Board of Elections will certify the petition signatures. If the petition is a State-Wide Petition, the county will submit certification to the State Board of Elections.
  8. The State Board will notify you when the required number of signatures has been collected. If the petition is a county or municipal petition, the County Board of Elections will contact you.