The field of candidates seeking to become the next sheriff of Beaufort County continued to grow this week.

This week, Val Scales, a Democrat, filed as a candidate, as did Rick Guthrie, a Republican.

The filing period for elections in North Carolina this election cycle ends at noon today. It began at noon Feb. 19.

As of Thursday afternoon, five Democrats had filed as candidates to replace Sheriff Alan Jordan, a Democrat who is not seeking re-election. They are Todd Alligood, Gary W. Blount, Russell Davenport, Al J. Whitney and Scales. The four Republicans running for sheriff include Ernie Coleman, Donald Dixon, Harry Meredith and Guthrie.

In Beaufort County this election cycle, voters will elect members of Congress, N.C. General Assembly members, county commissioners, a sheriff, a clerk of court, a district attorney, school-board members and soil-and-water commissioners.

So far this filing period, four Republicans are in the hunt for the three available seats on the Board of Commissioners. They are Ron Buzzeo, Don Cox, Keith Kidwell and Frankie Waters.

Democrats Ed Booth, an incumbent, and Robert B. Cayton, a former commissioner, have filed to run for the board.

The three board seats available this election cycle are held by Stan Deatherage, Al Klemm and Booth.

In Raleigh last week, Seth Edwards, the district attorney for the 2^nd Judicial District, filed the paperwork and paid the filing fee so he can run for re-election. Edwards, a Democrat, was first elected district attorney in 2002 and re-elected in 2006 in a contested race and in 2010, when he was unopposed.

The 2^nd Judicial District includes Beaufort County, where Edwards lives, and Martin, Washington, Hyde and Tyrrell counties. The district attorney is elected to a four-year term.

E.C. Peed, who represents District 2 on the Beaufort County Board of Education, has filed for re-election. Michael Bilbro has filed to run for the District 6 seat on the Beaufort County Board of Education. Butch Oliver has filed to seek the District 8 seat on the school board. Terry Williams has filed to seek re-election as the District 4 representative on the school board.

The even-numbered seats on the nine-member Beaufort County Board of Education are available this election cycle. The Board of Education races are nonpartisan.

Incumbent Clerk of Court Marty Paramore, a Democrat, has filed for re-election.

He is being challenged for the clerk of court’s seat by Eva Buck, who has not yet filed but announced her candidacy late last year. She plans to run as an unaffiliated candidate.

Republican Jimbo Shiver has filed to run for the clerk of court’s position.

Incumbent state Sen. Bill Cook, a Republican who lives in Beaufort County, has filed for re-election in his effort to continue to represent District 1 in the state Senate. Former state Sen. Stan White, a Dare County Democrat, has filed to seek the Democratic nomination for District 1. Cook narrowly defeated White in the 2012 election.

Judy Krahenbuhl, a former chairwoman of the Dare County Democratic Party, has filed to run for the District 1 seat in the state Senate.

Ashley Woolard, a Washington resident, joins fellow Republicans Mattie Lawson and Jeremy D. Adams in seeking to become the Republican nominee in the race for the 6^th District seat in the state House. Incumbent Paul Tine, a freshman legislator and a Democrat, is seeking re-election.

Primaries are set for May 6. Early voting for the primaries begins April 24 and ends May 3. The general election is set for Nov. 4, with early voting in the general election beginning Oct. 23 and ending Nov. 1.

The filing period for soil-and-water commissioners begins later this year.