How to Run for Office in North Carolina
A candidate filing guide from Campaign Partner, websites for candidates since 2011.
Your Campaign Website
When you file, your name becomes public and voters, reporters and donors will search for it. Have your website ready first - Campaign Partner sites are ready at signup, from $29/month, free domain name included.
Getting on the Ballot
North Carolina candidates file a notice of candidacy and pay a filing fee during a fixed filing period. Statewide, congressional, and judicial candidates file with the State Board of Elections; candidates for the General Assembly and all county and local offices file with their county board of elections. Unaffiliated candidates get on the general election ballot by petition instead.
Two North Carolina rules surprise first-time candidates. First, the filing period for even-year elections falls in early December of the previous year - nearly a year before the general election, with a March primary. Second, no surrogates: you must sign the notice of candidacy in person before the board of elections (or have it notarized and mail it) - a staffer can't file for you.
Municipal elections mostly run in odd years with a summer filing period, so city candidates operate on a different calendar than everyone else.
Where Local Candidates File
Your county board of elections handles candidate filing for legislative, county, and municipal offices, and is the first stop for local requirements. Campaign finance is centralized with the State Board of Elections: your candidate committee must register within 10 days of your first campaign activity (raising money, spending money, or filing your notice of candidacy), and reports are filed on the State Board's schedule for your race type.
Running for a local office? See what a school board, city council, mayor or county commissioner campaign website needs.
Worth Knowing
- Plan around the December filing date - if you decide to run in the fall before an even-year election, you may have only weeks to organize before filing opens, and the primary follows in early March.
- Filing fees are generally 1% of the office's annual salary, paid by check or money order (no cash or cards).
- Judicial races are partisan - judicial candidates run in party primaries like everyone else.
Official North Carolina Resources
Filing deadlines, fees, and signature requirements change from cycle to cycle. Always confirm current details with the official sources below.
This page was last reviewed on August 4, 2026. Process details above are believed current as of that date; deadlines and fees should always be verified with your election office.