By Catharin Shepard • Staff writer • Filing has resumed ahead of the May 17 primary, and several more candidates have signed to run in this year’s election. The North Carolina State Board of Elections last week reopened the filing period after a temporary closing.

The filing period is only open for a short time. It reopened February 24 and will close at noon this Friday, March 4.

The filing for candidates originally opened last December, but was forced to close after just a few days due to litigation over the North Carolina General Assembly’s redistricting maps. Judicial decisions forced lawmakers to redo the maps.

A North Carolina trial court last week approved redrawn maps for the U.S. House of Representatives, North Carolina State Senate and North Carolina State House of Representatives. The North Carolina Supreme Court denied appeals from both sides of the issue, meaning the primary election will continue as scheduled with those maps on the books.

The redrawn maps mean one change for Hoke County: the do-over redistricting put Hoke back into the Ninth Congressional District. Hoke County is in the Ninth Congressional District along with Randolph, Chatham, Lee, Moore, Scotland and parts of Richmond, Harnett and Cumberland counties.

The redistricting decision last November moved Hoke County to the Eighth Congressional District, but the redrawn maps approved last week reversed that.

One change from last year’s redistricting has not been altered. The redistricting maps from last year moved Hoke from State Senate District 21 to State Senate District 24. Under the new maps approved last week, Hoke is still with Robeson and Scotland counties in State Senate District 24.

Hoke also remains with Scotland County in North Carolina State House of Representatives District 48.

Running for office

As of Monday, the following people have filed to seek election in Hoke County, to local or state office in the upcoming primary election. Those candidates selected by their parties in the primary will continue on to face challengers from all parties in the November election.

Hoke County Board of Commissioners:

• Tony Hunt (Democrat)
• Harry Southerland (Democrat)
• Allen Thomas, Jr. (Democrat)
• Carlton Barber, Jr. (Democrat)
• Lent C. Carr II  (Democrat)
• David Frump (Republican)
• Issac A Holder (Republican)
• Christopher Holland (Republican)

Hoke County Sheriff 

• Roderick Virgil (Democrat)
• Stevie Joe (Republican)

Clerk of Superior Court

• Evelyn McLeod

N.C. House of Representatives District 48:

• Garland Pierce (Democrat)
• Melissa Swarbrick (Republican)

U.S. House of Representatives District 9

• Franscisco Rios (Republican)
• Richard Hudson (Republican)

Filing for three seats on the Hoke County Board of Education will open this summer, along with filing for other non-partisan entities such as the Soil and Water Conservation Board.

The voter registration deadline for the upcoming primary election is April 18. One-stop early voting vegins April 28 at 8 a.m. and ends May 14 at 3 p.m. The primary election is May 17, when all precincts will be open from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

For more information on registering to vote or other elections questions, contact the Hoke County Board of Elections at (910) 875-9062 or visit https://www.hokecounty.net/235/Elections.