Running for Office

Overview

Are you thinking of running for office? On this page, find the candidate filing periods and review the offices in which eligible individuals can run. To learn about the specific candidacy requirements, visit Filing for 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.

*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. Read: Notices of Candidacy May Not Be Delivered by Surrogates or Staff (PDF).

Upcoming Filing Periods for 2022 Elections

There are two candidate filing periods for elections in 2022. Candidates seeking their party’s nomination in the 2022 statewide primary file during the first period. Those who are nominated will become candidates in the statewide general election.

Candidates from about 35 municipalities with rescheduled elections file during two periods. The period that applies will depend on how quickly the municipality can adopt a new plan for local electoral districts. The 2021–22 Municipal Candidate Tool will capture rescheduled filing periods as they become available.

The two candidate filing periods for elections in 2022 are:

1. Noon on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021, to noon on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. This applies to:
   • Candidates seeking party nominations in the statewide primary.
     • Candidates are not permitted to run in a party primary unless they have been affiliated with that party for at least 90 days as of the date of filing a notice of candidacy. Find the deadline for establishing party affiliation, sorted by the filing date, at 2022 Primary Candidate Party Affiliation Deadlines.
   • Candidates seeking office in municipalities that finalize their electoral districts by Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021.
     • Municipalities must notify the county board of elections whether they will meet this deadline by Friday, Nov. 12, 2021.
2. Noon on Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, to noon on Friday, Jan. 7, 2022. This applies to:
   • Candidates seeking office in municipalities that are unable to finalize their electoral districts by Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2021, but do so by Friday, Dec. 17, 2021.
     • Municipalities must notify the county board of elections whether they will be using this second filing period by Friday, Nov. 12, 2021.

2022 Election Dates

There are up to three election dates in 2022:

1. Statewide primary and rescheduled municipal elections:
   • Tuesday, March 8, 2022.
2. Second primary, if necessary, and municipal general and runoff elections* (where applicable):
   • Tuesday, April 26, 2022 (if no federal office is involved in a second primary).
   • Tuesday, May 17, 2022 (if a federal office is involved).
3. Statewide general election:
   • Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

*A specific municipality’s election schedule depends on the method of elections used in that town or city (e.g., partisan primary, nonpartisan primary, nonpartisan plurality, or nonpartisan elections and runoff). See N.C. Session Law 2021-56.  Election dates for each municipality will be updated at the Municipal Voter Tool.

2022 Offices for Party Primary Nominations

Primary candidates may seek party nominations for the following office types with the State Board of Elections:

• United States senator
• Member of the House of Representatives of the United States
• Justice of the state Supreme Court
• Judge of the state Court of Appeals
• Judge of state superior court
• Judge of state district court
• District attorney

Primary candidates may seek party nominations for the following office types with their county board of elections:

• State senators
• Members of the state House of Representatives
• All county offices

2022 Offices for Rescheduled Municipal Elections

To find rescheduled contests in which a local candidate may seek office, search “TBA” at the 2021–22 Municipal Candidate Tool. To learn about office types in local government, visit City and County Elective Offices | UNC School of Government.