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With the exception of one local town, the filing process is open or will open soon for municipal seats across the Roanoke-Chowan area.

The lone exception is the Town of Ahoskie. There, four of the five seats on the Town Council are elected by districts. Legislation delaying municipal elections for offices elected by district until 2022 became law on June 28. Filing for Ahoskie seats will occur in November with the election slated for March 2022.

Elsewhere, with the exception of Lewiston Woodville, filing began Friday, July 2 and lasts until 12 noon on Friday, July 16. For the Lewiston Woodville seats, filing opens at 12 noon on Friday, July 26 and ends at 12 noon on Friday, Aug. 13.

In Northampton County, the following towns will have several seats up for grabs in the November election:

Conway – mayor; commissioners (2 seats)

Garysburg – mayor; commissioners (5 seats)

Gaston – mayor; commissioners (2 seats)

Jackson – commissioners (3 seats)

Lasker – mayor; commissioners (3 seats)

Rich Square – mayor; commissioners (5 seats)

Seaboard – mayor; commissioners (3 seats)

Severn – mayor; commissioners (5 seats)

Woodland – commissioners (2 seats)

Additionally, Northampton residents who are included in the Roanoke Rapids Sanitary District can file for three open seats on the district’s Board of Directors.

The filing fee for each of these races is typically $5.

Those wishing to seek any of the Northampton County seats can file as a candidate at the Board of Elections Office, located at 9495 NC Hwy 305, Jackson. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., but they will be closed this year on Monday, July 5 and Friday, July 9 in observance of Independence Day and Liberation Day, respectively.

Candidates must be at least 21 years of age, a U.S. citizen, a registered voter, and reside within the district in which he or she is seeking office.

For more information about municipal filing in Northampton County, call the Elections Office at 252-534-5681.

In Hertford County, Cofield, Harrellsville, Murfreesboro, and Winton each will elect a mayor and five members to their respective town councils for two-year terms.

The Town of Como will elect a mayor and four council members to four-year terms.

Those wishing to file are required to live within the corporate limits of those towns. Candidates must file at the Hertford County Board of Elections office, located at 418 Everett Street, Suite A, Ahoskie.

The following Bertie County municipalities have town government seats open for two-year terms:

Askewville: mayor; commissioners (3);

Kelford: mayor; commissioners (5);

Powellsville: mayor; commissioners (3); and

Roxobel: mayor; and commissioners (4).

The following Bertie County municipalities have town government seats open for four-year terms:

Aulander: commissioners (3);

Colerain: commissioners (3);

Lewiston Woodville: mayor; town council: Lewiston District (1) and Woodville District (1); and

Windsor: mayor; commissioners (2).

The filing fee in Bertie County is $5.

Candidates seeking election to nonpartisan municipal offices may file a Notice of Candidacy at the office of the Bertie County Board of Elections, 210 West Watson Street, Windsor.

Any qualified voter, who is at least 21 years of age, may be elected to a public office. For a municipal office, the candidate must also be a registered voter in the municipality or the municipal district.

The towns of Powellsville and Windsor vote according to the nonpartisan primary and election method. If the number of candidates for the contest is greater than twice the number of seats to be elected, there will be a primary election. The primary will trim the number of candidates down to twice the number of seats. For example, if there are seven candidates running for two seats, the top four vote-getters in the primary would advance to the general election. If needed, the primary would occur in October before the general election in November.

This year’s general election in all counties is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 2.