Editors Note: Individuals who filed Friday, if there are any, will be published in the next edition of the Robesonian as well as a roundup of all who are seeking seats on the Lumbee Tribal Council.

PEMBROKE — Over the week, five people, four of whom are incumbents, filed for candidacy in the Lumbee Tribal Council’s 2023 election set for Nov. 14.

Friday marked the deadline to file for one of the seven available seats on the Lumbee Tribal Council, which governs the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and its 13 districts that stretch across Robeson, Scotland Hoke and Cumberland counties.

Seats representing districts 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 11 as well as 12, which covers Scotland County, Maxton and Alfordsville, are up for reelection. Incumbents for these seats are Sharon Hunt, District 2; Harold Smith, District 3; Carrington Locklear, District 5; Carrington Ray Locklear, District 9; Rudy T. Locklear, District 7; Chocajuana Oxendine, District 11; and Annie Taylor, District 12.

Incumbents Chocajuan Oxendine, Richard Jones, Harold Smith and Annie Taylor each filed this week for re-election to their respective seats.

Taylor’s seat, representing District 12, covers Scotland County, Maxton, and Alfordville.

Oxendine currently sits on seat 11 of the council, which covers Hoke County.

The District 6 seat, currently held by Jones, represents the North Pembroke and Raft Swamp communities; while District 3, represented by Smith, covers the West Howellville and Lumberton area.

Graylen Mitchell also filed this week for candidacy for the available District 2 seat. Deana Locklear Marcinsky has also filed for the seat which is currently held by Sharon Hunt, who serves as the Lumbee Tribal Council speaker. Hunt had not filed for reelection as of Thursday.

As mandated in the Lumbee Tribal Constitution, those eligible to file are required to be active tribal members, reside in the district for at least one year, must be at least 21 years of age and must not have any felony convictions.

The filing fee is $250 and must be done at the Lumbee Tribal Elections Board new located at 171 Commerce Drive, Suite B, Pembroke.

The filing period closed Friday at 5 p.m. The election will take place from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14.

Other key dates:

— First day to request an absentee ballot: Sept. 11

— Meet the candidates: Sept. 18

— Last day to request absentee ballot: Oct. 13

— Deadline for absentee ballots to be returned/received: Nov. 13

— Enrollment closes books: Oct. 13

— Signatures verified for absentee ballots: Nov. 13

— Absentee ballots counted: Nov. 14