Brittney Lofthouse – Contributing Writer
Candidate filing resumed last Thursday morning across North Carolina and will continue until the filing deadline at noon on Friday, March 4. From local races to Congressional seats, candidates across the state have been signing up this week to appear on the primary ballot. The primary election is now scheduled for Tuesday, May 17.
Despite announcing in November that he would not be seeking re-election to Western North Carolina’s District 11 and instead would be running in the redrawn District 14, Rep. Madison Cawthorn announced on Monday in a press release that he would be seeking re-election for District 11 after the release of new congressional maps last week.
The state Supreme Court struck down those lines and the entire congressional map in early February, saying they were illegal partisan gerrymanders. The GOP-controlled General Assembly passed a new map Feb. 17, but a three-judge panel reworked it again last week, saying it didn’t meet fairness standards mentioned by the state justices.
Candidate filing under the map adopted by the trial judges, resumed Thursday. The next day, Republican legislative leaders asked the U.S. Supreme Court to block the use of the court-adopted map. The case is pending.
The freshman Republican faces several primary challengers for the District 11 seat including Bruce O’Connell, Wendy Marie-Limbaugh Nevarez, Matthew Burrill, Chuck Edwards and Rod Honeycutt.
While early voting has not yet begun, any registered and eligible North Carolina voter may now request an absentee ballot for the 2022 primary election online through the North Carolina Absentee Ballot Portal, available on the State Board of Elections’ website. To request a ballot through the portal, voters must verify their identity by providing their full name, date of birth, address, and either their driver’s license number (or other DMV ID number) or last four digits of their Social Security number. Voters will sign and submit the form online. If a voter provides their email address, they will receive a confirmation email after the request is submitted through the portal.
The deadline to submit a request for an absentee ballot is Tuesday, May 10, at 5 p.m., one week before Election Day. The State Board encourages voters to request a ballot sooner to ensure they can return their ballot in time to be counted. In late March or early April, after ballots are prepared, county boards of elections across North Carolina will begin sending them out to voters who request them.
Absentee voters must return their ballot, sealed inside the specially provided envelope, to their county board of elections no later than 5 p.m. on Election Day, May 17, 2022.
Absentee ballots received after 5 p.m. on Election Day will be counted only if they are postmarked on or before Election Day and received by mail no later than 5 p.m. on the Friday after the election. Ballots without a postmark must be received by Election Day.
Candidates filing as of Wednesday are:
Board of Commissioners District 1
Don Willis – Republican
Board of Commissioners District 2
Ronnie Beale – Democrat
Gary Shields – Republican
Richard Lightner – Republican
Danny Antoine – Republican
Danny Reitmeier – Republican
Gregg Jones – Republican
Clerk of Superior Court
Justin Stamey – Republican
Shawna Thun Lamb – Republican
Mike Trammel – Republican
Register of Deeds
Todd Raby – Democrat
Macon County Sheriff
Chris Browning – Republican
Clay Bryson – Republican
Bob Cook – Republican
Brent Holbrooks – Republican
Dereck Jones – Republican
Senate District 50
Kevin Corbin – Republican- Franklin, NC
NC House of Representatives District 119
Mike Clampitt – Republican – Bryson City
NC House of Representatives District 120
Karl Gillespie – Republican – Franklin
NC Superior Court Judge Dist. 30A Seat 01
William (Bill) Coward – Republican
NC District Court Judge District 30 Seat 01
Donna Forga
NC District Court Judge District 30 Seat 02
Kristina Earwood
NC District Court Judge District 30 Seat 03
Roy Wijewickrama
District Attorney District 43
Ashley Hornsby Welch
U.S. Congressional District 11
David Adam Coatney – Libertarian- Fletcher
Virginia Ann Foxx – Republican- Banner Elk (WITHDREW CANDIDACY 2/28/22)
Bruce O’Connell – Republican- Candler
Wendy Marie-Limbaugh Nevarez – Republican – Asheville
Matthew Burril – Republican – Fletcher
Chuck Edwards – Republican – Flat Rock
Rod Honeycutt – Republican – Alexander
Madison Cawthorn – Republican- Hendersonville
Michele V. Woodhouse – Republican- Hendersonville
Katie Dean – Democrat- Swannanoa
Jasmine Beach-Ferrara – Democrat- Asheville
Bo Hess – Democrat- Asheville
