The filing period for the 2010 elections is just a month away and the Scotland County Board of Elections is getting ready for incumbents and challengers alike.

"I am looking forward to an exciting 2010 election year," Board of Elections Director Dee Parker said.

Filing starts at noon on Feb. 8 for 12 local seats, including the sheriff and clerk of court, along with all U.S. representatives, a third of U.S. senators, including Sen. Richard Burr, four N.C. court of appeal judges and a seat on the N.C. Supreme Court.

Sheriff Shep Jones has formed a committee to start fundraising to keep his spot as Scotland County's top law officer.

The committee allows him to legally fundraise before the filing period.

Parker said potential 2010 contenders may want to stop by the Board of Elections office, even seasoned candidates, as some changes have been made in election law.

The biggest change is the lowering of the fundraising threshold for reporting purposes.

Last year, candidates were only required to file a detailed finance report if they spent in excess of $3,000; as of Dec. 1, that limit was been slashed to $1,000.

Parker says that will make it difficult for people to run as most do not want to worry with the report, especially as some filing fees are costly and county against this sum.

She noted that the filing fee for Clerk of Court is $824, leaving just $176 before someone has to file a report.

Candidates who do not exceed the threshold are still required to keep records of their campaign contributions and spending for two years in case any questions arise.

State laws have also changed on what constitutes as a candidate for campaign finance purposes. According to the General Statutes, anyone who makes "a public announcement of a definite intent to run for public office in a particular election" is considered a candidate, though all candidates are still legally required to file or create a committee to raise funds.

Local seats

Both the Sheriff and the Clerk of Superior Court for District 16-A are up in 2010. Shep Jones is the county's current sheriff while Phillip McRae is the current clerk of court. The filing fee for sheriff is $720 and the filing fee for clerk of court is $824.

All three seats the N.C. General Assembly that represent Scotland County – Senate District 25, currently held by Sen. Bill Purcell, and Representative Districts 46 and 46, held by Reps. Doug Yongue and Garland Pierce, respective – are up for election with a $207 filing fee.

Three members of the Scotland County Board of Commissioners are up for election: Board Chairman J.D. Willis, Stewartsville District; Guy McCook, Stewartsville District; and Betty Gholston, Spring Hill District. County residents vote on all three seats, but only those who live in those districts may run for those seats. The filing fee is $63.

Four members of the Scotland County Board of Education are up for election this year: Chairman Jimmy Bennett, At-Large; Vice-Chairman Mary Evans, Stewartsville District; Calvin Newton, At-Large; and Paul Rush, Stewartsville District. Scotland County residents vote on all seats, but only those in the Stewartsville District can run for a Stewartsville seat and only those who live outside the Stewartsville district can run for the At-Large seats. The filing fee is $10.

The Soil & Water District Supervisor seats of Edward T. Carmichael and T. G. Gibson are also up this year, but filing for these seats run from noon on June 14 to noon on July 2. The filing fee is $5.

State and national

U.S. Senator Richard Burr and U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell, of the 8th Congressional District , are up for reelection.

There are currently three Democratic candidates seeking to unseat Burr – Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, former state Sen. Cal Cunningham and Chapel Hill lawyer Kenneth Lewis – while the first-term senator currently has no primary challengers, according to The Associated Press.

Republicans Tim D'Annunzio of Raeford, Lou Huddleston of Fayetteville and Darrell Day of Hamlet have all announced their intention to unseat Kissell.

Also up are Supreme Court Associate Judge Edward T. Brady and Court of Appeal Judges Ann Marie Calabria, Rick Elmore, Sanford L. Steelman, Jr. and Martha A. Geer.

The North Carolina Board of Elections has not released filing fees for these seats, though the General Statutes sets them at 1 percent of that position's salary.

Important dates:

Feb. 8 – Filing period begins at noon

Feb. 26 – Filing period ends at noon

Primary

March 15 – Mail-in absentee ballots become available

April 9 – Voter registration deadline

April 15 – Absentee One-Stop Voting begins

April 26 – Last day to request mail-in absentee ballot

May 1 – One-Stop voting ends at 1 p.m.

May 3 – Mail-in Absentee Ballot deadline

May 4 – Election day

May 11 – Canvass day

General Election

Aug. 4 – Deadline for write-in candidates

Sept. 3 – Mail-in absentee ballots are ready

Oct. 8 – Voter registration deadline

Oct. 14 – Absentee One-Stop Voting begins

Oct. 26 – Last day to request mail-in absentee ballot

Oct. 30 – One-Stop voting ends at 1 p.m.

Nov. 2 – Election Day

Nov. 12 – Canvass Day