Guilford County candidates start filing for 2026 primary races

Candidate filing opened at noon June 8 in Guilford County, starting the first official step toward the 2026 primary races that will shape county taxes, schools, public safety and development. The county’s elections page and its 2026 Election Candidate Filing Information page place the process front and center, while March 3, 2026 remains the primary date tied to Guilford County’s early-voting materials.

The offices at stake are the ones that touch daily life most directly. County commissioners help steer spending and development decisions across Greensboro, High Point, Jamestown and Gibsonville. School board members influence classroom priorities and facilities. Sheriff’s races affect public safety and the operation of county facilities. Filing turns those contests from speculation into a concrete list of names, and it gives voters an early read on where the most important fights are forming.

The county’s early voting page says voting for the March 3 primary is over, and Guilford County Government posted that early voting for the 2026 Primary Election began on Feb. 12. That timeline shows how quickly the election cycle moved from early voting into the filing period and toward the official candidate lists that will define the rest of the campaign year. North Carolina State Board of Elections pages also track candidate lists and running-for-office guidance, giving voters a statewide reference point as local races take shape.

Not every contest follows the same schedule. Guilford County’s filing information page says the filing period for Archdale mayor and City Council contests began at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, July 6, underscoring that municipal races can run on a separate timetable even when countywide and state races are moving under the broader primary calendar. In practice, that means the local ballot can fill out unevenly, with some offices taking shape earlier than others.

The political reaction has already started. Replacements, Ltd. PAC said there were many competing candidates in the March 3 primary and linked that competition to the start of early voting on Feb. 12. Guilford For All also published 2026 endorsements, signaling that advocacy groups are making early choices about which candidates they want to elevate.

North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 163 sets the framework for primaries, and the Guilford County Board of Elections remains the local hub for filing and election updates. As filing continues and the official candidate lists are updated, the shape of the 2026 race will become clearer, and so will the contests most likely to determine who controls Guilford County’s biggest policy decisions.