Voting precincts open until 7 p.m.

All precincts are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today for the party primaries and nonpartisan elections.

Locally, a seat on the Floyd County Superior Court is being contested and the race will be decided today. The party nominees in other races will go on to the Nov. 6 general election ballot — or runoffs in July.

Elections Supervisor Willie Green said he’s hoping for a voter turnout rate of 30 percent to 35 percent. “I want to be optimistic,” he said. During the early voting period that ended Friday, 2,574 people cast ballots. The Georgia secretary of state’s office listed 50,787 registered voters as of May 1, putting the turnout at about 5 percent so far.

Just under 20 percent of Floyd County voters weighed in during the 2014 primaries, the last midterm election with big state races on the ballots. Green said he doesn’t expect long waits at the polls but he asked voters to look over the ballots and be aware of the choices before they step up to a machine.

“Be aware of the questions the Democratic Party is presenting to its voters,” he said. “Also, I want to remind people that some of the candidates have been removed from the Republican ballot and votes for them won’t be counted.”

Signs listing candidates who withdrew after the ballots were set are posted in each precinct, along with sample ballots. Voters also can view sample ballots, and check their precinct locations, online at the Georgia My Voter website.

Voters choosing the Democratic ballot will be asked to take part in a non-binding straw poll. Four questions ask about banning bump stocks, expanding Medicaid, creating an independent commission to draw voting district lines and investing in mass transit.

More than a dozen partisan matchups are on the ballots for state wide positions, including for governor, lieutenant governor and secretary of state.

In the Republican primary, Rome resident John Barge is trying to win back his state school superintendent position from incumbent Richard Woods. Barge beat Woods in the 2010 primary and served a fouryear term in the top education slot.