Early voting begins Friday at the DeKalb County Courthouse with advance balloting to continue through July 28.

At stake are numerous contested local offices including sheriff, county mayor, city mayor, road supervisor, circuit court clerk, one school board spot, Alexandria mayor (write-ins) and several county commission spots. Early voting will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. downstairs at the courthouse on Tuesdays, Wednesday and Fridays; 1 to 5 p.m. on Mondays; 2 to 6 p.m. on Thursdays; and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. For those who do not use their early voting option, the precincts across the county will open for Election Day on Aug. 2.

Along with contested local races, the August election will serve as a primary for both Democrats and Republicans.

“You can just vote in the general election but you also have the option to vote in either of the party primaries if you want to,” said Director of Elections Dennis Stanley, noting voters will have to tell poll officials which party’s primary they want to vote in. “Voting in the primary has no bearing on the general election, so if you want to vote for someone who is running Democrat in the general election you can still vote in the Republican primary or visa versa.”

Primaries in the Aug. 2 election include races for governor, congress, state senate and state representatives.

Those coming to the polls are asked to bring a photo identification, preferably a valid driver license. Voters are also advised to familiarize themselves with the ballot.

“It’s a fairly long ballot,” Stanley said.

A sample ballot ran in last week’s Smithville Review and can be found by going online to www.dekalbelections.com.