ELIZABETHTOWN — It was standing room only at the Board of Elections on Monday afternoon, when the filing period opened for the 2018 election.

Incumbent Sheriff Jim McVicker kicked things off when the filing period opened at noon, and he will have some competition. He will battle for his seat against newcomer Hakeem Brown and candidate veteran W.M. “Billy” Ward.

The lobby of the Board of Elections building was mostly filled with incumbents and their supporters Monday afternoon, roughly 50 people total. Roger Carroll will once again seek a seat on the Bladen County Board of Education; Niki Dennis hopes to keep her position as Clerk of Superior Court; as does Beverly Parks for her seat as Register of Deeds.

A new name on the ballot this year will be Martin “Tony” Denning, who hopes to take over William Brisson’s seat as the District 22 representative in the N.C. House.

Additional candidates will be updated each day as they file.

More than a dozen seats will be up for grabs. With filing fees, they include U.S. Senate ($1,740), U.S. House of Representatives ($1,740), associate justice, N.C. Supreme Court ($1,326), Court of Appeals judge ($1,401), Superior Court judge ($1,259), District Court judge ($1,167), district attorney ($1,282), N.C. State House ($207), N.C. State Senate ($207), clerk of Superior Court ($892), county commissioner ($88), Board of Education ($58), sheriff ($796), coroner ($53), register of deeds ($632) and Soil and Water Conservation District ($5). Fees must be paid in the form of check or money order.

The filing period for the May 8 primary will run from noon today until noon on Feb. 28, with the exception of filing for Soil and Water Conservation, which will run from noon on June 12 until noon on July 6. The deadline to withdraw notice of candidacy is Feb. 23. Filing takes place at the Bladen County Board of Elections, located at 301 S. Cypress Street in Elizabethtown.

To vote in the primary, registration must be completed by April 13, 2018 at 5 p.m. One-stop voting begins April 19 and continues through May 5 at 1 p.m. Absentee voting begins March 19 and runs through May 8 at 5 p.m. The absentee by mail deadline is May 11, but mail must be postmarked on or by May 8.

Chrysta Carroll can be reached by calling 910-862-4163 or emailing ccarroll@bladenjournal.com.

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By Chrysta Carroll

Bladen Journal