Overview

Find the upcoming candidate filing period and filing location information on this page. To learn about the specific candidacy requirements, visit Filing for Candidacy.

Candidate Filing for the 2024 Elections

Candidate filing for most contests in the 2024 elections begins at noon on Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, and ends at noon on Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.

Depending on the office sought, candidates will file their Notice of Candidacy and pay their filing fees either at their county board of elections office or with the State Board of Elections at the N.C. State Fairgrounds in Raleigh. (See below for detailed information.)

The 2024 primary election is March 5, 2024. The general election is Nov. 5, 2024.

Candidates for the following offices file to run for office at the Martin Building at the State Fairgrounds, 4285 Trinity Road (Gate 9), Raleigh NC 27607: 

• U.S. House of Representatives (Districts 1-14)
• Governor
• Lieutenant Governor
• Attorney General
• State Auditor
• Commissioner of Agriculture
• Commissioner of Insurance
• Commissioner of Labor
• Secretary of State
• Superintendent of Public Instruction
• State Treasurer
• N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice (Seat 6)
• N.C. Court of Appeals Judge (Seats 12, 14, and 15)
• Superior Court Judge (various districts)
• District Court Judge (various districts)
• District Attorney (Districts 12, 29, 32, and 37)

The Martin Building will be open for filing during the following days and times:

• Noon to 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 5–8
• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 11–14
• 8 a.m. to noon Friday, Dec. 15

Please be aware of the ongoing construction in the area.

Filing a Notice of Candidacy

Any person seeking to become a candidate must file a notice of candidacy form.* Download the form and find additional details at Notice of Candidacy. Determine specific filing fees and find payment information at Filing Fees.

*Notices of candidacy may not be delivered by surrogates or staff. Only the candidate may file the notice of candidacy and pay the filing fee in person at the appropriate board of elections. Alternatively, a candidate may have the candidate’s signature on the notice of candidacy acknowledged and certified by an officer authorized to take acknowledgments and administer oaths, in which case the candidate may mail or deliver by commercial courier service the candidate’s notice of candidacy to the appropriate board of elections. Please note that the candidate is not considered to have filed their mailed notice of candidacy until the appropriate board of elections receives it, provided it was before the end of the filing period.

Announcement To All Potential Candidates

The State and county boards of elections cannot accept candidate filings via surrogate. During the upcoming candidate filing period the boards of elections will only accept notices of candidacy that are signed and submitted in person by the candidate, or which are certified and delivered via mail or commercial courier service, per Notices of candidacy; pledge; with whom filed; date for filing. N.C.G.S. § 163-106(a).

In the past, some candidates have relied on surrogates, including staff members, to submit their notices of candidacy during the candidate filing period. This practice is not permitted in the General Statutes, and such filings will not be accepted by the boards of elections.

General Statute section 163-106(a) provides as follows:

Each candidate shall sign the notice of candidacy in the presence of the chairman or secretary of the board of elections, State or county, with which the candidate files. In the alternative, a candidate may have the candidate’s signature on the notice of candidacy acknowledged and certified to by an officer authorized to take acknowledgments and administer oaths, in which case the candidate may mail or deliver by commercial courier service the candidate’s notice of candidacy to the appropriate board of elections.

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