The political season officially opened Monday as the filing period opened. The last time to file for office is midnight on Jan. 30.

As of Tuesday afternoon the Wetzel County Clerk’s Office had seven people file for office, all democrats:

Incumbent Carol Marshall Haught of Pine Grove for county clerk.

Incumbent Sharon Maxine Yoho Dulaney of Wileyville for circuit clerk.

Incumbent Don Mason of New Martinsville for county commission.

Greg Morris of Paden City, Clyde Hochstrasser of Paden City, Nelda Kocher Glover of New Martinsville, and Ralph E. Phillips of New Martinsville for the county executive committee.

Local candidates filing with the Secretary of State’s Office for statewide offices of local interest are as follows:

U.S. House of Representatives, 1st Congressional District: Republicans Cindy Hall of Wheeling, David McKinley of Wheeling, Randy Smith of Terra Alta, Thomas Stark of Parkersburg, Daniel Scott Swisher of Washington, and Mac Warner of Morgantown. R. J. Smith of Dallas, is the sole democrat to file as of Tuesday afternoon.

Incumbent Larry Edgell of New Martinsville, a democrat, is the only person to file for the 2nd Senatorial District.

Incumbent Dave Pethtel of Hundred, a democrat, is the only person to file for the 5th Delegate District.

New this year is the requirement for all candidates in House of Delegates and State Senate races to register with the Secretary of State’s Office. Previously, only candidates whose districts covered more than one county had to file with the Secretary of State.

Candidates can also fill out a certificate of announcement at their county clerk’s office or download it and print it from the Secretary of State’s Web site. Those must be postmarked by midnight on Jan. 30.

More information about important dates for candidates to remember is available on the Secretary of State’s Web site at www.wvsos.com.

Candidates can find out when their campaign finance reports are due, when county clerks will do a random drawing for ballot position, and the deadline for a candidate to have their name removed from the ballot if they decide not to run. “We want to make this process as easy as possible, so the candidates can focus on the issues facing the citizens of West Virginia,” Secretary of State Natalie E. Tennant said.

Voters can see a complete list of registered candidates on the Secretary of State’s Web page by clicking on the banner at the top of the page. The list of candidates will be updated in real time.