163-106. Notices of candidacy; pledge; with whom filed; date for filing.

(a) Notice and Pledge. - No one shall be voted for in a primary election without having filed a notice of candidacy with the appropriate board of elections, State or county, as required by this section and G.S. 163-106.1, 163-106.2, 163-106.3, 163-106.5, and 163-106.6. To this end every candidate for selection as the nominee of a political party shall file with and place in the possession of the board of elections specified in G.S. 163-106.2, a notice and pledge in the following form:

I hereby file notice as a candidate for nomination as ____________ in the __________ party primary election to be held on ________, ______ I affiliate with the __________ party, (and I certify that I am now registered on the registration records of the precinct in which I reside as an affiliate of the ____________ party.)

I pledge that if I am defeated in the primary, I will not run for the same office as a write-in candidate in the next general election.

Witness:

__________________

__________________

(Title of witness)

(b) [Name of Candidate. -] In signing the notice of candidacy the candidate shall use only that candidate's legal name and may use any nickname by which he is commonly known. A candidate may also, in lieu of that candidate's legal first name and legal middle initial or middle name (if any) sign a nickname, provided that the candidate appends to the notice of candidacy an affidavit that the candidate has been commonly known by that nickname for at least five years prior to the date of making the affidavit. The candidate shall also include with the affidavit the way that candidate's name (as permitted by law) should be listed on the ballot if another candidate with the same last name files a notice of candidacy for that office.

(c) [Agent's Signature Invalid. -] A notice of candidacy signed by an agent or any person other than the candidate shall be invalid.

(d) [Forms Provided by State Board. -] Prior to the date on which candidates may commence filing, the State Board of Elections shall print and furnish, at State expense, to each county board of elections a sufficient number of the notice of candidacy forms prescribed by this subsection for use by candidates required to file with county boards of elections.

(e) Disclosure of Felony Conviction. - At the same time the candidate files notice of candidacy under this section and G.S. 163-106.1, 163-106.2, 163-106.3, 163-106,5, and 163-106.6, the candidate shall file with the same office a statement answering the following question: "Have you ever been convicted of a felony?" The State Board of Elections shall adapt the notice of candidacy form to include the statement required by this subsection. The form shall make clear that a felony conviction need not be disclosed if the conviction was dismissed as a result of reversal on appeal or resulted in a pardon of innocence or expungement. The form shall require a candidate who answers "yes" to the question to provide the name of the offense, the date of conviction, the date of the restoration of citizenship rights, and the county and state of conviction. The form shall require the candidate to swear or affirm that the statements on the form are true, correct, and complete to the best of the candidate's knowledge or belief. The form shall be available as a public record in the office of the board of elections where the candidate files notice of candidacy and shall contain an explanation that a prior felony conviction does not preclude holding elective office if the candidate's rights of citizenship have been restored. This subsection shall also apply to individuals who become candidates for election by the people under G.S. 163-114, 163-122, 163-123, 163-98, 115C-37, 130A-50, Article 24 of this Chapter, or any other statute or local act. Those individuals shall complete the question at the time the documents are filed initiating their candidacy. The State Board of Elections shall adapt those documents to include the statement required by this subsection. If an individual does not complete the statement required by this subsection, the board of elections accepting the filing shall notify the individual of the omission, and the individual shall have 48 hours after notice to complete the statement. If the individual does not complete the statement at the time of filing or within 48 hours after the notice, the individual's filing is not complete, the individual's name shall not appear on the ballot as a candidate, and votes for the individual shall not be counted. It is a Class I felony to complete the form knowing that information as to felony conviction or restoration of citizenship is untrue. This subsection shall not apply to candidates required by G.S. 138A-22(f) to file Statements of Economic Interest.

s. 1; 2013-381, s. 21.1; 2014-111, s. 1(a); 2016-125, 4th Ex. Sess., s. 21(a); 2017-3, s. 5; 2017-6, s. 3; 2018-146, s. 3.1(a), (b).)