§163-106. Notices of candidacy; pledge; with whom filed; date for filing; withdrawal

(a)        Notice and Pledge. - No one shall be voted for in a primary election without having filed a notice of candidacy with the appropriate board of elections, State or county, as required by this section. To this end every candidate for selection as the nominee of a political party shall file with and place in the possession of the board of elections specified in subsection (c) of this section, a notice and pledge in the following form:

Date __________

I hereby file notice as a candidate for nomination as ____________ in the __________ party primary election to be held on ________, ______ I affiliate with the __________ party, (and I certify that I am now registered on the registration records of the precinct in which I reside as an affiliate of the ____________ party.)

I pledge that if I am defeated in the primary, I will not run for the same office as a write-in candidate in the next general election.

Signed ____________________

(Name of Candidate)

Witness:

____________________

____________________

(Title of witness)

Each candidate shall sign the notice of candidacy in the presence of the chairman or secretary of the board of elections, State or county, with which the candidate files. In the alternative, a candidate may have the candidate's signature on the notice of candidacy acknowledged and certified to by an officer authorized to take acknowledgments and administer oaths, in which case the candidate may mail or deliver by commercial courier service the candidate's notice of candidacy to the appropriate board of elections.

In signing the notice of candidacy the candidate shall use only that candidate's legal name and may use any nickname by which he is commonly known. A candidate may also, in lieu of that candidate's legal first name and legal middle initial or middle name (if any) sign a nickname, provided that the candidate appends to the notice of candidacy an affidavit that the candidate has been commonly known by that nickname for at least five years prior to the date of making the affidavit. The candidate shall also include with the affidavit the way that candidate's name (as permitted by law) should be listed on the ballot if another candidate with the same last name files a notice of candidacy for that office.

A notice of candidacy signed by an agent or any person other than the candidate shall be invalid.

Prior to the date on which candidates may commence filing, the State Board of Elections shall print and furnish, at State expense, to each county board of elections a sufficient number of the notice of candidacy forms prescribed by this subsection for use by candidates required to file with county boards of elections.

(a1)      Disclosure of Felony Conviction. - At the same time the candidate files notice of candidacy under this section, the candidate shall file with the same office a statement answering the following question: "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?" The State Board of Elections shall adapt the notice of candidacy form to include the statement required by this subsection. The form shall make clear that a felony conviction need not be disclosed if the conviction was dismissed as a result of reversal on appeal or resulted in a pardon of innocence or expungement. The form shall require a candidate who answers "yes" to the question to provide the name of the offense, the date of conviction, the date of the restoration of citizenship rights, and the county and state of conviction. The form shall require the candidate to swear or affirm that the statements on the form are true, correct, and complete to the best of the candidate's knowledge or belief. The form shall be available as a public record in the office of the board of elections where the candidate files notice of candidacy and shall contain an explanation that a prior felony conviction does not preclude holding elective office if the candidate's rights of citizenship have been restored. This subsection shall also apply to individuals who become candidates for election by the people under G.S. 163-114, 163-122, 163-123, 163-98, 115C-37, 130A-50, Article 24 of Chapter 163 of the General Statutes, or any other statute or local act. Those individuals shall complete the question at the time the documents are filed initiating their candidacy. The State Board of Elections shall adapt those documents to include the statement required by this subsection. If an individual does not complete the statement required by this subsection, the board of elections accepting the filing shall notify the individual of the omission, and the individual shall have 48 hours after notice to complete the statement. If the individual does not complete the statement at the time of filing or within 48 hours after the notice, the individual's filing is not complete, the individual's name shall not appear on the ballot as a candidate, and votes for the individual shall not be counted. It is a Class I felony to complete the form knowing that information as to felony conviction or restoration of citizenship is untrue. This subsection shall not apply to candidates required by G.S. 138A-22(d) to file Statements of Economic Interest.

(b)        Eligibility to File. - 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. A person registered as "unaffiliated" shall be ineligible to file as a candidate in a party primary election.

(c)        Time for Filing Notice of Candidacy. - Candidates seeking party primary nominations for the following offices shall file their notice of candidacy with the State Board of Elections no earlier than 12:00 noon on the second Monday in February and no later than 12:00 noon on the last business day in February preceding the primary:

Governor

Lieutenant Governor

All State executive officers

United States Senators

Members of the House of Representatives of the United States

District attorneys

Candidates seeking party primary nominations for the following offices shall file their notice of candidacy with the county board of elections no earlier than 12:00 noon on the second Monday in February and no later than 12:00 noon on the last business day in February preceding the primary:

State Senators

Members of the State House of Representatives

All county offices.

(d)        Notice of Candidacy for Certain Offices to Indicate Vacancy. - In any primary in which there are two vacancies for United States Senator from North Carolina, each candidate shall, at the time of filing notice of candidacy, file with the State Board of Elections a written statement designating the vacancy to which he seeks nomination. Votes cast for a candidate shall be effective only for his nomination to the vacancy for which he has given notice of candidacy as provided in this subsection.

(e)        Withdrawal of Notice of Candidacy. - Any person who has filed notice of candidacy for an office shall have the right to withdraw it at any time prior to the close of business on the third business day prior to the date on which the right to file for that office expires under the terms of subsection (c) of this section. If a candidate does not withdraw before the deadline, except as provided in G.S. 163-112, his name shall be printed on the primary ballot, any votes for him shall be counted, and he shall not be refunded his filing fee.

(f)         Candidates required to file their notice of candidacy with the State Board of Elections under subsection (c) of this section shall file along with their notice a certificate signed by the chairman of the board of elections or the director of elections of the county in which they are registered to vote, stating that the person is registered to vote in that county, stating the party with which the person is affiliated, and that the person has not changed his affiliation from another party or from unaffiliated within three months prior to the filing deadline under subsection (c) of this section. In issuing such certificate, the chairman or director shall check the registration records of the county to verify such information. During the period commencing 36 hours immediately preceding the filing deadline the State Board of Elections shall accept, on a conditional basis, the notice of candidacy of a candidate who has failed to secure the verification ordered herein subject to receipt of verification no later than three days following the filing deadline. The State Board of Elections shall prescribe the form for such certificate, and distribute it to each county board of elections no later than the last Monday in December of each odd-numbered year.

(g)        When any candidate files a notice of candidacy with a board of elections under subsection (c) of this section or under G.S. 163-291(2), the board of elections shall, immediately upon receipt of the notice of candidacy, inspect the registration records of the county, and cancel the notice of candidacy of any person who does not meet the constitutional or statutory qualifications for the office, including residency.

The board shall give notice of cancellation to any candidate whose notice of candidacy has been cancelled under this subsection by mail or by having the notice served on him by the sheriff, and to any other candidate filing for the same office. A candidate who has been adversely affected by a cancellation or another candidate for the same office affected by a substantiation under this subsection may request a hearing on the cancellation. If the candidate requests a hearing, the hearing shall be conducted in accordance with Article 11B of Chapter 163 of the General Statutes.

(h)        No person may file a notice of candidacy for more than one office described in subsection (c) of this section for any one election. If a person has filed a notice of candidacy with a board of elections under this section for one office, then a notice of candidacy may not later be filed for any other office under this section when the election is on the same date unless the notice of candidacy for the first office is withdrawn under subsection (e) of this section; provided that this subsection shall not apply unless the deadline for filing notices of candidacy for both offices is the same. Notwithstanding this subsection, a person may file a notice of candidacy for a full term as United States Senator, and also file a notice of candidacy for the remainder of the unexpired term of that same seat in an election held under G.S. 163-12, and may file a notice of candidacy for a full term as a member of the United States House of Representatives, and also file a notice of candidacy for the remainder of the unexpired term in an election held under G.S. 163-13.

(i)         Repealed by Session Laws 2001-403, s. 3, effective January 1, 2002.

(1915, c. 101, ss. 6, 15; 1917, c. 218; C.S., ss. 6022, 6035; 1921, c. 217; 1923, c. 111, s. 13; C.S., s. 6055(a); 1927, c. 260, s. 19; 1929, c. 26, s. 1; 1933, c. 165, s. 12; 1937, c. 364; 1947, c. 505, s. 7; 1949, c. 672, s. 4; c. 932; 1951, c. 1009, s. 3; 1955, c. 755; c. 871, s. 1; 1959, c. 1203, s. 4; 1965, c. 262; 1967, c. 775, s. 1; c. 1063, s. 2; 1969, c. 44, s. 83; c. 1190, s. 56; 1971, cc. 189, 675, 798; 1973, c. 47, s. 2; c. 793, s. 36; c. 862; 1975, c. 844, s. 2; 1977, c. 265, ss. 4, 5; c. 408, s. 2; c. 661, ss. 2, 3; 1979, c. 24; c. 411, s. 5; 1981, c. 32, ss. 1, 2; 1983, c. 330, s. 1; 1985, c. 472, s. 2; c. 558, s. 1; c. 759, s. 6; 1985 (Reg. Sess., 1986), c. 957, s. 1; 1987, c. 509, s. 13; c. 738, s. 124; 1987 (Reg. Sess., 1988), c. 1028, s. 1; 1993 (Reg. Sess., 1994), c. 762, s. 31; 1995, c. 243, s. 1; 1996, 2nd Ex. Sess., c. 9, s. 8; 1999-456, s. 59; 2001-403, s. 3; 2001-466, s. 5.1(a); 2002-158, ss. 8, 9; 2002-159, s. 55(a); 2006-155, s. 2; 2007-369, s. 1; 2009-47, s. 1; 2013-381, s. 21.1; 2014-111, s. 1(a).)