Election filing begins

The campaign season is about to shift into higher gear.

Since Nov. 5, 2008, the day after our last general election and the day after Barack Obama was elected president, political parties and candidates have been preparing for the next election. Monday the 2010 campaign season officially opened. Candidates across North Carolina will be trekking into their local or state elections board offices and filing their notices.

There’ll be six statewide offices. We’ll elect one U.S. senator this year, one justice to the N.C. Supreme Court and four judges to the N.C. Court of Appeals.

The U.S. Senate seat is currently held by Republican Richard Burr. The Supreme Court justice seat up this year is currently held by Ed Brady. The four appeals court judges’ seats are currently held by Ann Marie Calabria, Rick Elmore, Sanford L. Steelman Jr. and Martha A. Geer.

All 13 U.S. House seats are up, as are all 50 N.C. Senate seats and all 120 N.C. House seats. In addition, candidates will be filing to fill seats on county boards of commissioners, school boards, sheriff’s offices and district attorney’s offices. And don’t forget other courthouse and county office positions, such as superior and district court judges, clerks of court and register of deeds.

It will be a lot to keep up with, even for the most devoted political junkies.

The filing period runs through Feb. 26, two weeks from this Friday. The primary election will be on Tuesday, May 4, with absentee ballots available on Monday, March 15. If a second primary is necessary, it will be held on Tuesday, June 22.

The general election will be on Tuesday, Nov. 2, with absentee ballots available on Friday, Sept. 3.

Information on election filing in available by calling the Craven County Board of Elections at 636-6610 or by going online to the elections Web site at http://www.cravencounty.com/departments/elc.cfm.