Voter turnout is expected to be less than 20 percent in today’s primary election runoff.

“I would guess between 18 and 20 percent – and that’s because of the interest in the commission races,” Probate Judge Ben Bowden said Monday.

Today, polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. One must be prepared to present identification, such as a driver’s license, before casting a ballot.

On the ballot, Re-publican candidates William “Bill” Godwin and Kylan Lewis will face off for the seat of Covington County Commission chairman, while Joe Barton and Randall McCart are squaring off for the District 2 commissioner seat. The winners face no Democratic opposition and will take office in November.

On the ballot for statewide races, Chip Brown and Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh are vying for the Republican nomination for president of the Public Service Commission.

At the most recent count, there were 21,863 registered voters in Covington County – 20,057 “active,” meaning they cast a ballot in the last election, and 1,806 “inactive.”

The predictions of a strong voter turnout held true during March’s primary election with 30 percent of the registered voters casting a ballot.

Visit the Star-News website for up-to-the-minute election coverage beginning after 7 p.m.