Early voting starts Wednesday for the 9th U.S. House District redo and Charlotte City Council primaries.
The Hal Marshall site at 618 N. College St. in Charlotte opens at 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, and 12 additional sites will be open starting 10 a.m. Thursday.
In the 9th District, which hugs the Carolinas border from southeastern Mecklenburg county to parts of Bladen and Cumberland counties, Democrat Dan McCready is facing off against Republican state Sen. Dan Bishop.
It's the beginning of the end of a high-profile race for a seat that's been vacant since January when U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger left office after narrowly losing to challenger Mark Harris in the 2018 Republican primary.
Harris then eked out a win over McCready in November, but his win was never certified amid allegations of election fraud. The state called for a new election, Harris dropped out, and an operative who worked with his campaign was indicted on criminal charges.
Several candidates, meanwhile, are running for – or trying to hold onto – city government leadership positions. That includes Democratic Mayor Vi Lyles, who has four primary challengers.
The top vote-getters in the primary will be on the general election ballot in November. The 9th District election is final.
Early voting is available most days between Wednesday and Sept. 6, with exceptions on Sept. 1-2. The primary and 9th District election are Sept. 10.
To see sample ballots, go to ncsbe.gov, and learn more about early voting sites and times at mecknc.gov/BOE.