Schedule and other details are subject to change pursuant to legislative updates, court order, or administrative adjustment.
Candidates must file a Notice of Candidacy with the New Hanover County Board of Elections during the Candidate Filing Period. The Candidate Filing Period for the 2021 Municipal Elections is scheduled to begin on Friday, July 2, 2021 at noon, and will conclude on Friday, July 16, 2021 at noon.
If paying the filing fee for offices filed at the New Hanover County Board of Elections Office in the form of a check or money order, it must be payable to “New Hanover County.” For offices filed at the North Carolina State Board of Elections office, check ncsbe.gov for specific information regarding check and money order requirements. Business or corporate checks are not accepted.
Once the candidate filing period begins interested citizens can check back here to see a list of candidates who are participating in the 2021 Municipal Elections.
| 2021 Municipal Candidate Filing Offices and Filing Fees | ||
| Municipality | Office | Filing Fee |
| City of Wilmington | Mayor | $125 |
| Council Member | $95 | |
| Town of Carolina Beach | Mayor | $18 |
| Council Member | $18 | |
| Town of Kure Beach | Mayor | TBD |
| Board of Commissioners | TBD | |
| Town of Wrightsville Beach | Mayor | TBD |
| Alderman | TBD | |
Notice of candidacy signature witness requirements: The Notice of Candidacy must be signed in the presence of the Chairman, or Executive Director of the State or New Hanover County Board of Elections, or a candidate may have his/her signature on the notice of candidacy acknowledged and certified to by any officer authorized to administer an oath, including a notary (G.S. § 163-106). In signing his or her Notice of Candidacy, the candidate may use a nickname if candidate complies with the requirement specified in G.S. § 163-106 and which includes submitting an affidavit.
Party affiliation requirements for partisan offices: No person shall be permitted to file as a candidate of any political party in a party primary if the person, at the time of filing his or her notice of candidacy, is registered as an affiliate of a different political party. No person registered as “unaffiliated” (without any party affiliation) shall be eligible to file as a candidate in a primary. No person shall be permitted to file as a candidate in a party primary unless that person has been affiliated with that party for at least 90 days as of the date of that person filing such notice of candidacy (G.S. § 163-106.1)
Offices in the Jurisdiction of the State Board of Elections
To see information regarding the offices under the jurisdiction of the NCSBE, please click here.
Additional Candidate Filing Information
For more information on running for office, please click here.
File for these offices at the North Carolina State Board of Elections
File for these offices at the your local county Board of Elections
| 2021 Municipal Candidate Filing Begins |
| Friday, July 2, 2021 @ 12:00PM |
| 2021 Municipal Candidate Filing Ends |
| Friday, July 16, 2021 @ 12:00 PM |
