Candidates Guide / Requirements for Running for Office

Here is some information on collected from Clean Slate Petition – Zebulon, NC. Shared with permission.

Thinking about serving our community on the Zebulon Town Board? We are still in pursuit of a #CleanSlate4Zebulon and we need new members on the Board that are accountable to the people of our Town. Don’t let the process intimidate you! We’ve got a quick breakdown of key info you can find in the official Candidate’s Guide for Municipal Elections. It doesn’t have to be expensive to run, but it does take effort to get your name out there and build voter trust! 

Here’s what you need to know:

• Eligibility Requirements: You need to be a registered NC voter, qualified for the specific office, and at least 21 by Election Day.
• Filing Period: Mark your calendars! The filing period for 2025 municipal elections is from Monday, July 7, 2025, to Friday, July 18, 2025, at noon.
• Filing Process: You’ll file a Notice of Candidacy form. You can do this in person at the Wake County Board of Elections (with fee!), or mail a notarized form.
• Filing Fees: These are generally 1% of the annual salary. * For Commissioners, the estimated fee is $80. * For the Mayor, the estimated fee is $140. * Always confirm the exact fee with the Wake County Board of Elections!
• Felony Disclosure: A simple form to affirm if you’ve ever been convicted of a felony.

Campaign Committee & Finance (It’s not scary!): * Your committee needs to be registered with the Wake County Board of Elections within 10 days of your first financial activity or filing.
* Required Forms: CRO-2100A (committee info), CRO-3500 (bank accounts), CRO-3600 (to stay under the $1,000 threshold and avoid regular reports!).
* Process: Submit forms to Wake County BOE. Keep good records even if under $1,000. Close your committee after the election with CRO-3400.

There’s a local PAC who might be helpful regarding campaign finance, too: https://movezebulonforward.org/

Term & Compensation: Zebulon Town Board members serve 4-year staggered terms. Commissioners make approx. $8,000/year, and the Mayor approx. $14,000/year.

Want more details? Dive into the official Candidate’s Guide below:

Verified Background Checks for Candidates

Background checks can be a vital tool for ensuring the integrity and honesty of political candidates. Zebulon’s elected officials who hold positions of power and influence must be held to high standards of honesty and integrity. By performing background checks on political candidates, we can restore public trust in the political system and ensure that only those who are genuinely qualified and fit for office are the ones who get elected.

By providing a means for candidates to attain a verified background check, the process outlined here by Move Zebulon Forward assists candidates in establishing public trust and provides voters with reassurances of the candidate’s honesty and integrity.

Move Zebulon Forward will only endorse candidates that can provide a VERIFIED CANDIDATE BACKGROUND CHECK. See below for the process.

Why Do We Need Background Checks for Candidates?

There are several reasons why background checks should be performed on political candidates. One of the most important reasons is to ensure that candidates are honest and trustworthy. Zebulon’s recent rapid growth means that there are many new residents who do not know which candidates (who may be new to Zebulon themselves) to trust in the voting process. In today’s political climate, it is too common for politicians to lie, deceive, or mislead the public to advance their agendas. By performing background checks, we can verify the truthfulness of a candidate’s statements and determine whether or not they have a history of honesty and integrity.

Consider the following:

• 100% of non-candidate government employees are required to undergo a background check.
• 92% of employees in the USA are required to undergo a background check.
• 0% of Political Candidates in Zebulon are required to undergo a background check.

This means that our Zebulon elected officials ARE NOT required to disclose their CRIMINAL RECORD, EDUCATION, RESUME, LICENSING, and more.

Zebulon citizens demand MORE! According to the Move Zebulon Forward online Citizen Survey, 97% of respondents say we need to require background checks for candidates, which is statistically aligned with National surveys on the topic.

Required background checks for Zebulon’s candidates is what the voters want!

What is the Process?

NOTE:  Each candidate who files for the November 4, 2025, Zebulon Municipal Election will be mailed a letter that directs them to this web site.  If you have filed, and have not received a letter, please email [email protected].

Transparency in Politics (TIP) (https://transparencyinpolitics.info/) will assist you in the (optional) completion of a background check.  Move Forward Zebulon is not associated with TIP or Peopletrail, and does not receive any money from any interactions that you will have with them.

1. Candidate orders a background check, e-signs the Terms and Conditions and pays $295 to TIP.
2. Candidate reviews the report and resolves any issues with Peopletrail.
3. If the Candidate decides they do NOT want to share their report:  FULL STOP.
4. If the Candidate decides to share it with an outside party, (e.g, Move Zebulon Forward, or other parties):
5. Candidate emails [email protected] and authorizes TIP to authenticate the report and email it to a specific party (e.g., Move Zebulon Forward).
   1. An administrative fee of $50 will be paid at that time (Move Zebulon Forward will either pay this administrative fee, or reimburse the Candidate, as mutually agreed). 
   2. If the candidate wants to share their report with additional parties/emails, each report sent a specific email will incur a cost of $100 ($50 for a local PAC such as Move Zebulon Forward). 
6. TIP authenticates the report with Peopletrail and sends the authenticated report to Move Zebulon Forward.
   1. The authenticated report is not to be forwarded to parties outside of your organization by either you or the candidate.
7. Move Zebulon Forward will:
   1. Use Summarized Information Only from the authenticated report in a Zebulon Voter Guide
   2. Promote to the Zebulon community that the Candidate has completed the Verified Candidate Background Check process.
   3. Review candidates who have completed the Verified Candidate Background Check process to determine candidates to endorse.

More information can be found in the additional documents below: