ElectaFile 10 Point Checklist for New NC Candidates

10 Point Checklist for New Candidates in North Carolina

• File Notice of Candidacy. Notice of Candidacy is the first document you file to kick off your campaign. The filing window is 12:00 Noon on Dec. 4, 2023 through 12:00 Noon Dec. 15, 2023. This is a paper filing at either the county board of elections or the State Board of Elections depending on the office you seek.

• Have Filing Fee Ready. Filing for office is not cheap. The fee is calculated based on the annual salary of the position. Click here for more specifics.

• Identify a Treasurer. Your campaign needs a treasurer. The candidate can be a treasurer, but ElectaFile discourages it. Find a trusted friend or hire one of the many excellent professionals out there. The State Board has mandatory treasurer training that your treasurer will need to take within 3 months of appointment. 

• Have a Bookkeeping Plan. It is critical that you and your treasurer have a plan on Day 1 on how you’re going to keep track of money in and out of the campaign. You’ll start spending money early, e.g., the filing fee, and “ballparking it” is a road to ruin. Excel spreadsheet, QuickBooks–most important thing is to make a plan before the pressure mounts. 

• Have a Campaign Finance Reporting Plan. You have legally-mandated reporting requirements. Paper filing and electronic filing using ElectaFile or other software are your options. Get fluent quickly and make a choice about how you will file.  

• Open a Campaign Bank Account. You are legally required to keep campaign funds separate from personal and business funds. Go down to the local bank and get this done. 

• File Statement of Organization. This is the first document you paper file to kick off your campaign finance effort. Many campaigns have already started fundraising even before the Notice of Candidacy is filed. Either way, if you’re raising or spending campaign funds, you need to set up a committee by filing a Statement of Organization within 10 days of starting campaign activities.

• File Bank Account Paperwork with Board of Elections. The form known as a Certification of Financial Account Information, is filed at the same time as the Statement of Organization.

• Consider Certifying Under $1,000.00 Threshold. If you’re running for certain county and municipal offices and there’s no doubt in your mind that your campaign will not have significant funds flowing through it, i.e., less than $1,000.00 for the cycle, consider filing a Certification of Under Threshold. This option is not available for legislative, statewide, or judicial offices. If you’re wrong about your eligibility and/or dollar amounts you’ll have additional paperwork obligations. If you have questions, drop us a line, consult a professional treasurer, or contact the State Board. 

• File Organizational Report. The Organizational Report is the first report you must file tracking money coming and going out of your campaign. It differs from the Statement of Organization and is due within 10 days of your first campaign activity (unless you “certify under threshold” above…). After this report, you’ll use the same form with different names and adhere to the generally applicable reporting schedule. 

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