With voter turnout expected at 25 to 30 percent for the primary election today, candidates are encouraging registered voters to get out to the polls and prove the predictions wrong.

“I would love for everybody to come out and go vote,” said Ashley Hendrix, Republican candidate for the District 3 seat in the Carroll County Commission. “I’ve always been one to vote, and I just hoped that more people got out and exercised their right.”

Both Hendrix and her competition in the primary, Republicans Bryan Hager and Jeff Nalley, agree low turnout hurts the democratic process and is unlikely to benefit one candidate over another.

“I think a higher turnout is better for a campaign,” Hager said. “It’s going to be the people who always vote. For people like myself who have campaigned and talked about the issues [a higher turnout] is always better.”

Despite the estimates, Nalley had not ruled out the possibility that the electorate could show up in force and surprise everyone.

“It’ll probably be a low turnout but you never know. It might be a low turnout or it might be a good turnout,” he said. “I just don’t know. We’ll have to wait to see.”

Estimates for the primary come on the heels of the Board of Elections announcement that more than 1,400 people participated in early voting last week, a higher number than was anticipated, said Elections Supervisor Patti Brown-Traylor.

“As far as advanced voting, we’re very pleased,” Brown-Traylor said. “It was a little better than we expected compared to the number of absentee ballots we sent.”

During the early voting period, Republican voters dwarfed Democratic voters nearly four to one. At the Carrollton precinct, 1,016 people voted in the Republican primary, compared to 261 voting Democrat.

The number of Republican early voters is proportional to the number of candidates running on the Republican ticket, and as a result, GOP voters are faced with more decisions in the voting booth than their Democratic counterparts.

One of the most hotly contested races on the Republican ticket will be for the office of state representative from the 18th District. Incumbent Mark Butler is facing local real estate appraiser Kevin Cooke in a primary that will give one man an unopposed win in the November general election and a seat in the state Legislature.

Hoping to return to the commission next year, District 5 incumbent Randy Simpkins is facing off against fellow Republicans Kirby Hamil and Kevin Jackson. The winner will run unopposed in the general election.

For county tax commissioner, Republicans Vickie Bearden, Trent Marlow and Bob Uglum are hoping to win their party’s nod. The Republican nominee will face Democrat Selassie Wallace in the general election.

Those vying for clerk of court, an office previously held by long-time clerk Kenneth Skinner, are Republicans Lucy Beck, Kaye Burson and Alan Lee, with the winner facing no opposition in November.

Those choosing to vote in the Democratic primary today will be faced with choosing the nominee for several local and federal positions.

The U.S. Senate race features Democrats Dale Cardwell, Vernon Jones, Rand Knight, Josh Lanier and Jim Martin. The nominee will face incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss on Nov. 4.

Incumbent Sammy Eady is hoping to return as county coroner. He’s opposed by fellow Democrat and local nurse Ladonna Fryar.