Polk County voters will have a chance beginning this week to cast ballots in the June 7 special primary.

The races are for the U.S. House of Representatives District 10 Republican candidates and for the N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice (non-partisan).

Early voting runs from this Thursday, May 26 through Saturday, June 4.

Voting can be done at the Polk County Board of Elections Office in Columbus.

There will be two ballots, one for the Republican Party and another non-partisan ballot.

There are only two races on the ballot.

The non-partisan ballot will include N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice candidates Michael R. (Mike) Morgan, Daniel Robertson, Robert H. (Bob) Edmunds and Sabra Jean Faires.

The Republican ballot will include the N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice candidates and the U.S. House of Representative District 10 candidates of Patrick McHenry, Albert Lee Wiley Jr., Jeffrey Baker and Jeff Gregory.

Early voting times include May 26 and May 27 from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; May 31-June 3 from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. and June 4 from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Election day for the primary will be Tuesday, June 7 from 6:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

Registered Republican voters as well as unaffiliated voters who wish to choose a Republican ballot may vote for both races. Other parties may vote the non-partisan ballot that will include only the N.C. Supreme Court Associate Justice race.

The winner of the U.S. House of Representative District 10 Republican race will face Polk County resident Andy Millard (D) in the general election on Nov. 8. Millard ran unopposed as a Democrat for the 10th congressional district. McHenry is the incumbent running for re-election.

The new primary was necessary after new congressional districts were drawn right before the regular primary held in March.

A three-judge federal court panel in February overturned the current maps after a group of voters and advocacy groups sued the state claiming lawmakers had unconstitutionally packed too many black voters in the state’s first and 12th districts.

The new primary for the race was decided on by N.C. Legislation because there wasn’t enough time to hold a new congressional candidate filing period and print the new ballots by the March 15 primary.

Polk County is part of the 10th congressional district, which didn’t change significantly in the state’s new maps. All of Polk County is still included in the state’s 10th district.

District 10 includes Polk, Rutherford, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln and Catawba counties and about a third of Buncombe County, including the City of Asheville.