Hood Richardson, a Republican, is seeking re-election to the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners. Jerry Evans, also a Republican, is seeking election to the board.

There are four seats available on the board in the 2016 election cycle. The filing period for that election cycle ends at noon Dec. 21.

Also seeking seats on the board are Republicans Don Cox, Derik Davis and Gary Brinn, an incumbent. Democrats Robert Belcher, Jerry Langley (both incumbents) and Greg Satterthwaite have filed as candidates for the board, which has seven members. Commissioners serve four-year, staggered terms.

Republican Bill Cook, an incumbent, faces a challenge from Democrat Brownie Futrell in the contest for the 1^st District seat in the N.C. Senate.

Among others filing for office since Dec. 1 were Judy Justice, a Dare County Democrat, and Warren Judge, a Dare County commissioner and a Democrat. Each seeks the 6^th District seat in the N.C. House of Representatives now held by Paul Tine, an unaffiliated legislator who is not seeking re-election. Washington resident Ashley Woolard, a Republican, also filed for the District 6 seat. The district includes part of Beaufort County and all of Dare and Washington counties.

Beaufort County School Board members Eltha Booth (District 1), Barbara Boyd-Williams (District 3), F. Mac Hodges, (District 5), Carolyn S. Walker (District 7) and Mike Isbell (District 9) have filed for re-election. Terry W. Draper filed as a candidate for the District 9 seat on the school board, which is nonpartisan.

Board members serve four-year, staggered terms.

Jennifer Leggett Whitehurst, the incumbent register of deeds in Beaufort County, has filed for re-election.

Last week, Michael A. Paul and Chris McLendon filed for re-election as district court judges in the 2^nd Judicial District.

Filing last week was U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield Jr., who is seeking re-election to the U.S. Congress. Butterfield, a Democrat from Wilson, represents the state’s 1^st District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Butterfield was elected to Congress in a special election in 2004.

Republicans Phil Law and Taylor Griffin have filed as candidates for the 3^rd District seat in the U.S. House, currently held by fellow Republican Walter B. Jones Jr., who filed for re-election Friday. He is in is 10^th term in the U.S. House.

U.S. House candidates serve two-year terms. U.S. Senate candidates serve six-year terms.

Republican Michael Speciale is seeking re-election as the representative from District 3 in the state House. The district includes part of Beaufort County, part of Craven County and all of Pamlico County.

Races for U.S. Senate, governor and Council of State and General Assembly seats are on the ballot. There are also elections for Congress, state judgeships and scores of county positions. The U.S. presidential election also takes place in 2016.

The filing period for candidates seeking seats on a county’s soil-and-water conservation board begins at noon June 13, 2016, and ends at noon July 1, 2016.