The North Carolina Supreme Court decided last week to suspend candidate filing for all offices for the 2022 primary election that was originally scheduled for March. The primary election will now happen on May 17, 2022.

Any candidate whose filing has been accepted will be accepted in the May primary, subject to any court rulings that would impact that candidate's eligibility, according to the Supreme Court order. Dates for a new filing period have not been set.

Locally, four people have filed for the Fayetteville Mayor seat. Sixteen people have filed for the nine Fayetteville City Council seats.

The delay in the primaries are due to lawsuits over redistricting maps for congressional and state legislative districts. The lawsuits claim that the Republican-drawn district maps were unlawfully gerrymandered.

"This order is a transparent assist to Democrats who benefit from electoral uncertainty and false narratives at the direct expense of the North Carolina people," the North Carolina GOP statement said shortly after the Supreme Court announced their decision.

North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Bobbie Richardson said she was grateful for the pause.

"Halting candidate filing and delaying the primary election are important steps towards ensuring North Carolina voters have the freedom to elect their representatives. Voters don’t need help from legislators to decide who represents them," Richardson's statement said.