ELKINS — Three candidates in Randolph County filed to run for public office Monday on the first day of filing for the May 12 West Virginia Primary Election.

Longtime Randolph County Commissioner Chris See was one of the three candidates who filed on Monday. See was re-elected for a third time in 2020 and will be seeking a fourth term during this year’s election.

See, who represents the Tygart District, will have a competitor in this year’s race, as Republican Joseph Owens also filed for the open Randolph County Commission seat on Monday.

The precinct in the Tygart District, which See and Owens will be vying for, begins in the area of the Beverly Fire Department and runs to the Tygart Valley Fire Department, Huttonsville, Valley Head and Pickens.

“The Tygart District basically starts in Beverly and runs up through the valley,” said Randolph County Clerk Brenda Wiseman. “And you have to live in that district to be able to run for an office in that district.”

The other filing on Monday was from Elkins City Council Fourth Ward representative Nanci Bross-Freonara, who filed to run for the Democratic Executive Committee.

“When it’s a busier election we usually have more than three file on the first day,” Wiseman said. “There’s not much on it for county offices this time around.”

Three Randolph County Board of Education seats, which are currently held by Dr. Phil Chua, Dr. Sherri Collett and Janie Newlon, are open for the upcoming election. Candidates can be from any of the three districts, Cheat, Elkins or Tygart.

In Randolph County, just a handful of seats are up for grabs, including one Conservation District Supervisor, one County Executive Committee seat, one District Executive Committee seat.

The filing period runs through Jan. 31, and candidates running for Randolph County positions can file in person at the Randolph County Clerk’s office.

Those running for statewide and legislative offices, state executive committee offices to be filled by voters in more than one county, and judicial offices (excluding magistrates) must file with the Secretary of State’s Office.

Wiseman said the last day for residents to register to vote or to make any changes to voter registration is on April 21. That can be done at the County Clerk’s Office or online with the Secretary of State’s Office.