Withdrawal of Candidacy

How to Withdraw a Notice of Candidacy

Any person who has filed a notice of candidacy for an office has the right to withdraw it. The withdrawal must be completed any time before the end of the third business day before the filing period ends. Candidates who wish to withdraw must complete a Candidacy Withdrawal Form.

The name of any candidate who does not withdraw by the deadline shall be printed on the primary ballot. Any votes received by that candidate shall be counted. The filing fee will not be refunded.

Download the Withdrawal of Candidacy form (fillable PDF)

Once a person is declared the nominee of a political party for a specified office, either after candidate filing ends and they are the only candidate to have filed or after the canvass of the primary and they were the candidate who prevailed, the nominee cannot resign as a candidate in the general election unless they submit to the board of elections which certified their nomination a written request that they be permitted to withdraw. This request must be made prior to the first day on which military and overseas absentee ballots are transmitted to voters, and Filling vacancies among party nominees occurring after nomination and before election (N.C.G.S. § 163-114) determines how the vacancy in the nomination is filled before the election.