Columbia voters this November 7, for the first time, will elect aldermen by numbered seats.

Seats 1, 2, and 3 will be filled this autumn, and Seats 4 and 5 will be filled in 2019, according to Session Law 2016-66 of the North Carolina General Assembly.

The town charter amendments approved last year also provide that Columbia’s mayor will be elected to a four-year term rather than the traditional two years.

Candidates for alderman must specify which seat they are filing for, and the November ballot will show a race for mayor, a race for Seat 1, a race for Seat 2, and a race for Seat 3.

The incumbents whose terms expire this fall are James Cahoon, Gabby Crail, and Ray Marner, but the seats they occupy now are not numbered. However, if any of them file for reelection, each must specify which seat they are running for.

The effect of numbering seats in an election where aldermen do not represent a geographical district — and there are no districts in Columbia — is to give voters opportunity to choose one candidate for each seat rather than choosing three candidates from a field of three or more candidates running at large.

Terms of Aldermen Lloyd Armstrong and Sandra Owens expire in 2019.

The board of aldermen primarily receives information and makes decisions on town budgets, taxes, administration, public safety, buildings and streets, parks, environmental health, water and sewer systems, drainage.

Columbia’s elective offices are non-partisan. The election is held without regard to candidates’ political party affiliation, so there will be no party primary.

The municipal election process began on July 7 when the filing period opened. Candidates must apply and pay the $5 filing fee to Debbie Swain, elections director, in the offices of the Tyrrell County Board of Elections in the Courthouse in Columbia. After opening day, the filing period will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday, until the filing period closes at 12 noon on July 21.

State law requires each candidate to attend candidate campaign finance training, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., August 23, in the Tyrrell County Public Library. There is no cost to candidates