The candidate filing period for the May 8 primary starts at noon Monday.

The filing period lasts two-and-a-half weeks, until noon Feb. 29.

A variety of state and local positions are up for election, including spots in the N.C. General Assembly, Nash County Board of Commissioners, Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners, Edgecombe County Board of Education, Rocky Mount City Council and Tarboro Town Council.

The position of mayor of Rocky Mount is up for election, and so are the register of deeds positions for Nash and Edgecombe counties.

“We look forward to anybody who’s going to file to come in so we can assist them,” said Jerry Spruell, director of the Edgecombe County Board of Elections.

The first day of the filing period typically is filled with excitement, Spruell said.

Usually several new candidates and incumbents like to stop by at noon on the first day to sign-up, said John Kearney, director of the Nash County Board of Elections. If several candidates come at once, they might have to wait for elections officials to process their paperwork, Kearney said.

“We’ll get to them as fast as we can,” he said.

Other positions up for election include U.S. Congressional seats and district court judges.

Filing for positions on the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education will open in July.

North Carolina’s governor’s race is wide open. Former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory has announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination. Several Democrats are vying for the Democratic nomination.

Republicans are hoping to gain control of the governor’s office this year after taking control of the N.C. General Assembly in 2010 for the first time in more than a century.

Mark Edwards, chairman of the Nash County Republican Party, said Republicans are confident they will be able to maintain control of the N.C. House and N.C. Senate and take control of the governor’s mansion, although it won’t come easy.

“We know to fulfill those goals we’re going to have to work day and night to combat the millions of dollars that will be pouring into North Carolina from the Obama campaign,” Edwards said.

North Carolina is considered a swing state in the presidential election.

The N.C. Republican Party has been working with the Republican National Convention to coordinate a comprehensive campaign strategy, Edwards said.

But Democrats are confident, too.

Allen Mitchell, chairman of the Edgecombe County Democratic Party, said Democrats are preparing to re-elect President Barack Obama, maintain control of the governor’s mansion and take back control of the N.C. General Assembly. This election will be key if they want to continue moving the Democratic Party and the state forward, Mitchell said.

Education will be an important issue in the governor’s race, Mitchell said.

“We need a person who will continue to improve the state’s educational system,” Mitchell said.

Several candidates and elected officials already have announced their plans to seek election or re-election.

U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-1st District, on Friday announced he will seek another term. He is holding a campaign rally at 4 p.m. Monday at the Booker T. Theatre in Rocky Mount.

N.C. Rep. Angela Bryant, D-Nash, also has said she plans to seek re-election. She and several other Democratic candidates for various offices are planning to have a celebration luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Monday at Langley’s Town and Country Restaurant in Nashville. The public is welcome to attend. Bryant also is holding a meet and greet event at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Franklin County Democratic Party Headquarters in Louisburg.

Attorney William Solomon Jr. of Rocky Mount has announced he plans to run for the 23rd District of the N.C. House. That seat is held by eight-term incumbent Joe Tolson, D-Edgecombe. It is unclear whether Tolson plans to seek another term. Solomon is running as a Democrat.