ASHEBORO, N.C. — The North Carolina Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended candidate filing for all races and postponed the state’s primary election from March 8 to May 17, citing ongoing litigation over redistricting maps.
The order halts filing for all offices in the 2022 primary, including rescheduled municipal races and separate municipal filing periods scheduled for January, according to an email from the Randolph County Board of Elections.
The delay stems from legal challenges to legislative and congressional district maps approved by the Republican-led General Assembly this year. The N.C. League of Conservation Voters and the N.C. NAACP filed separate lawsuits accusing Republicans of using partisan data to gerrymander the maps.
The Supreme Court ordered that both lawsuits be heard and decided by Jan. 11. The court did not address whether additional time would be allowed for appeals, which are widely expected regardless of the outcome.
Read the full ruling by the N.C. Supreme Court Here (PDF)
In a press release the NC Board of Elections said the following:
For any candidate whose filing has been accepted by the State Board of Elections or any county board of elections, that candidate “will be deemed to have filed for the same office” in the May primary, subject to any court rulings that would impact that candidate’s eligibility, according to the Supreme Court order.
Those candidates would be able to withdraw their candidacy during the new filing period. Any individual who withdraws their candidacy is free to file for any other office for which they are eligible during the reopened filing period.
Dates for a new filing period have not been set. Candidate filing had begun on Monday at the N.C. State Fairgrounds for state- and federal-level contests and at all 100 county boards of elections for local contests. As of Wednesday evening, more than 1,400 candidates had filed statewide.
NC Board of Elections Press Release – Dec 8th 2021
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