LUMBERTON – The races are underway.

As of Wednesday morning, an overall 20 candidates already had filed to run for the 23 offices open for election on Nov. 7 in the Lumberton and Robeson County municipal elections.

That’s a half-dozen days into the filing period for candidates this off-election year.

Friday marked the first day that political job seekers could file for election. North Carolina General Statutes gives potential candidates two weeks to apply, so they have until noon on Friday, July 21, according to Robeson County Board of Elections Director Tina Bledsoe.

“We had 12 the first day,” she said, “and it’s been steadily trickling in ever since. That was probably a little bit above average, really. And it’s municipal.”

“The ones doing the filing — they were busy,” Bledsoe replied when asked how busy was her office on that initial filing date for candidates.

For these municipal elections, Robeson County will operate by the single-member plurality method. This simple system means the winner takes all.

“Whoever wins, wins,” she said. “If that’s by one vote.”

Voter deadline to register, she said, is 5 p.m. on Oct. 13. If the registration form is mailed, the letter must be postmarked or in the Board of Elections Office by 5 p.m. Oct. 13.

Lumberton makes available one site for one-stop voting in Lumberton and Robeson County.

As of Tuesday, Bledsoe reported, 11,624 registered voters live in the city limits of Lumberton. Another 71,520 are registered to vote in the county in the local, federal and state elections.

The majority of those voters in the city and county, she said, are registered Democrats.

For the first time, voters will be required to show a voter ID. The voter identification requirement will be enforced in the upcoming local elections.

“That’s every voter that votes,” she said.

One-stop early voting gets underway in Lumberton at a tentative 8:15 a.m. on Oct. 19 and continues through 3 p.m. on Nov. 4.

The Board of Elections has the option to add additional hours and days should it benefit the citizens, according to Bledsoe.

The Robeson County towns of Orrum and Marietta will not provide one-stop voting, she said.

Lumberton’s lone one-stop voting site is behind the Robeson County Board of Elections in the Pine Street Gym, 801 N. Pine St.

Come Election Day, voters can cast their votes at their registered precinct.

Bledsoe said anytime there’s opposition running for office, that automatically makes it more interesting. She pointed out Lumberton City Council District 7, which so far has Jan Maynor, a former executive director at Lumber River Council of Governments, running against incumbent Eric Chavis.

“We’ve got a couple running in other towns,” she said of the matchups.

Former St. Pauls Mayor Jerry Weindel was the only candidate who filed on Wednesday, she reported. He has tossed in his hat to again run for mayor of St. Pauls. Thus far his sole opponent is incumbent Mayor Elbert Gibson.

As of Wednesday morning, here are the open races in Robeson County that currently have registered candidates:

– Town of Fairmont Council Member: Heather Seibles

– City of Lumberton Mayor: Bruce W. Davis (incumbent)

– City of Lumberton City Council Member District 01: Leroy Rising

– City of Lumberton City Council Member District 04: Karen Altman Higley

– City of Lumberton City Council Member District 06: Chris Howard

– City of Lumberton City Council Member District 07: Jim Maynor, Eric Chavis

– Town of Maxton Mayor: Shelman Spencer, Emmett (Chip) Morton

– Town of Maxton Board of Commissioners: James McDougald

– Town of McDonald Mayor: James R. Taylor

– Town of Parkton Council Member: Tony McVickers

– Town of Pembroke Council Member: Larry McNeill, Rudy Locklear

– Town of Red Springs Council Member: Caroline C. Sumpter, Sandy (Billy) Bowen

– Town of Rowland Council Member: Byron Hallman

– Town of St. Pauls Mayor: Elbert Gibson, Jerry Weindel

– Town of St. Pauls Council Member At-Large: Jerry Quick, Don Brisson