There’s less than a week left in the filing period for the 2018 election cycle in which Beaufort County voters will mark ballots in U.S. House of Representative, county commissioner and other political contests.

The filing period ends at noon Wednesday.

Al J. Whitney, a Democrat, is the latest person to file as a candidate for Beaufort County sheriff. Incumbent Sheriff Ernie Coleman, a Republican, and Petre E. Franks, a Democrat, filed last week for that office.

Two Democrats, incumbent Ed Booth and newcomer Randy Walker are seeking seats on the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners. Two Republicans, incumbent Frankie Waters and Tandy Dunn are candidates for the board. Three seats on the seven-member board are available this election cycle.

Clerk of Court Marty Paramore, a Democrat, is seeking re-election.

In the nonpartisan Beaufort County Board of Education contest, incumbents E.C. Peed, District 2, Terry Williams, District 4; and Butch Oliver, District 8, are seeking re-election.

Bryson Kiel Jones, a Craven County Democrat, is seeking to represent District 79 in the North Carolina House of Representatives, as are Beaufort County residents Keith Kidwell, a Republican, and Jerry Langley, a Democrat.

Beaufort County resident C. “Chuck” Earley Jr., a Republican, is seeking to represent District 3 in the North Carolina Senate. That district is currently represented by Erica D Smith, a Democrat.

In Beaufort County, voters will mark ballots for candidates seeking to represent District 3 in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Philip Joseph Law, a Republican and Jacksonville resident, is seeking to represent the 3^rd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives now held by fellow Republican Walter B. Jones Jr. Also running in the contest is Republican Scott Charles Dacey, a New Bern resident.

Two seats on the three-member Beaufort County Soil and Water Conservation Board are available this election cycle. The filing period for the election runs from June 11 to July 6.

Earlier this month, the Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals issued an order that candidates for N.C. Supreme Court and N.C. Court of Appeals will not file for election during the February filing period. Under that order, primaries will not be held for judicial offices in 2018. The court overturned a lower court’s order that had set the filing period for appellate-court candidates during the February filing period.

Barring any further action by the courts, those candidates will file during a special judicial filing period June 18-29.

The filing period for superior and district court candidates begins at noon June 18 and ends at noon June 29. This year, judicial candidates may file as unaffiliated without having to qualify through the petition process.

The Superior Court (2^nd Judicial District) seat held by Judge Wayland Sermons Jr. is available this election cycle, as are two of the four District Court judgeships in the 2^nd Judicial District. Superior Court judges serve eight-year terms. District Court judges serve four-year terms.