Photo by el swifterino.

Campaign signage for the April 26 At-Large Special Election has only recently come down — but it will soon be replaced by signs for candidates vying for seats on the D.C. Council in 2012. With a new election calendar in place for the year to come — the primary date has been moved from September to April 3, while the general election remains in November — campaigning is beginning earlier than usual.

In mid-April, Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) — who recently celebrated two decades on the council — filed for re-election, hoping to keep his seat for another four years. (Evans even has a campaign headquarters, we’ve been told, and has held a few campaign launch parties.) Evans has only ever really faced token opposition, and this time around he seems to want to preempt any erstwhile challengers by being first in the race.

Up in Ward 4, Councilmember Muriel Bowser is already facing two challengers. According to the City Paper, Baruti Jahi, who ran against Bowser in 2008 Special Election, is up for it again. Community activist and all-round Twitter curmudgeon Keith Jarrell has also thrown his hat in the ring, announcing earlier this week that Ward 4 “needs and deserves leadership that is both caring and engaged in what affects all of our lives.”

The real excitement, though, will be east of the river, where both incumbents Yvette Alexander (D-Ward 7) and Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) are likely to face animated opponents.

Alexander, who has reportedly lost the confidence of some her ward’s most influential figures, will likely face Ron Moten, the strident ally of former mayor Adrian Fenty who made a name for himself last year as a music video producer, public debater and magazine publisher.

Just across the way, Barry is likely to be challenged by Sandra “S.S.” Seegars, a community activist who has twice challenged the mayor-for-life and lost. (The Post profiled Seegars last year.) Young ANC Commissioner Darrell Gaston has also started testing the waters for a run against Barry, establishing an exploratory committee and readying what looks to be a flashy campaign website. Former At-Large candidate Jacque Patterson has similarly hinted that he might jump in to the race.

Citywide, Councilmember Michael Brown (I-At Large) will be battling fellow minority party candidates for his seat. Though no one has yet hinted that they’d like to take him on, Republican Pat Mara’s strong showing in the April 26 election and Brown’s recent tax and ethics troubles may push the D.C. GOP to field a candidate. Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At-Large), who won the April 26 contest, will be up for re-election, and a re-match is always possible. (Sekou Biddle, are you listening?) D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton will also be up, though no one has ever come particularly close to unseating her.

Besides the possible contenders, 2012 will be made that much more interesting by the possibility of a campaign to recall Mayor Vince Gray. Under the most optimistic scenarios, a recall vote could take place in early summer, but it would be far more likely in the fall or coinciding with November’s general election.

That’s a whole lotta campaigning to prepare for.