Filing Opens for 2018 Election Season in Dare and Hyde Counties

On Monday, February 12, the local 2018 Election Season begins in earnest as filing opens in Dare and Hyde counties for a wide array of positions.

Dare County

In Dare County, positions on the 2018 Primary ballot include:

Candidate filing begins at noon on Monday, February 12, and ends at noon on Wednesday, February 28.  

All Notices of Candidacy, together with the proper filing fee, must be in the possession of the Dare County Board of Elections by the deadline to be accepted. (School board candidates must run for party nominations in 2018, as the Dare Board of Education’s non-partisan status was eliminated in 2017.)

Hyde County

Filing for seats in the North Carolina General Assembly and the U.S. House of Representatives are also opening on Monday, February 12.

The party primary elections will be held on May 8, while the 2018 General Election will be on November 6, 2018.

Local Candidates who have announced their plans to run, thus far

Three candidates have already announced plans to run for the at-large seat on the Dare County Board of Commissioners, which is currently held by Jack Shea. The candidates are Ed Danko (R), Anne Petera (R), and Ervin Bateman (D).

Sheriff Doug Doughtie (R) has also announced his intention to seek re-election, and Cheryl House announced her plan to run for the Republican nomination for Register of Deeds on Friday, February 9.

The State Races

State Rep. Bob Steinburg (R-Edenton), who is the current First District member of the state House, and primary challenger Clark Twiddy of Kitty Hawk, will be seeking the Republican nomination to the state Senate.

Current state Rep. Beverly Boswell (R) of Kill Devil Hills announced over the weekend that she will seek re-election for 2018. So far, there has been no announcement of a primary or general election challenger for the seat.  

Following the re-drawing of the state’s legislative district maps, Dare County is now in the same House District 6 as Hyde, Currituck and Pamlico counties. The First Senate District has also expanded to include 11 counties.

Filing for the above positions may be done in person at the local county Board of Elections office or by mail. Once a candidate has filed, the deadline to withdraw is Friday, Feb. 23.

For more information about candidate filing, including candidate forms and a listing of filing fees, click here.