S136 Summary

• Restores partisan judicial elections for North Carolina superior and district court judges by requiring them to file notices of candidacy through primary elections with political party affiliations, effective January 1, 2018.

• Adds superior court judges and district court judges to the list of offices requiring party primary nominations and filing fees equal to one percent of annual salary.

• Removes references to nonpartisan judicial election procedures (G.S. 163-323 and G.S. 163-325) from multiple election statutes governing candidate qualification, ballots, and primary elections.

• Establishes residency requirements for superior court judge candidates, requiring them to reside in the judicial district where they seek election at the time of filing and before taking office.

• Specifies procedures for filling judicial vacancies through appropriate district or county executive committee appointments based on whether the position is in a single-county or multi-county judicial district.