Local filing period for candidates is starting

If you want to create change in your own town or school district, running for office is the place to start.

Today is the start of the 10-day period in which people can file to run for local offices in New Hampshire.

More than 50 different positions are open in the towns around Nashua, from selectmen and school board members to moderators, clerks and cemetery trustees.

To run for office, all you need to do is go to your town clerk during office hours and file a declaration of candidacy – there’s no charge.

Some places may require school district candidates to register with the school district clerk; the town clerk will tell you if that’s the case.

As part of the declaration, you swear under penalty of perjury that you meet the qualifications to run under state law, which means you’re a town resident and a registered voter, who is at least 18 years old.

The filing period extends through 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30.

To find out which seats you can run for, check The Telegraph’s Town Meeting site (www.nashuatelegraph.com/ townmeeting) and click on the link for your town.