Turnout for the November general election in Cherokee County is expected to be strong as early voting is bringing a steady flow of voters.

Janet Munda, supervisor of elections for Cherokee County, said the general election will turn out at least 50 percent of voters to the polls. There are 133,612 registered voters in the county.

"There is a governor's race, and we have a lot of our state representatives and local school board members that have opposition," she said about factors spurring interest. "There are some real interesting races that the people will decide."

More than 500 people have participated so far in early voting at the Cherokee County Elections Office in downtown Cherokee.

Registered voters can continue to cast ballots early there through Oct. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays.

From Oct. 25 through 29, registered voters can participate in advanced voting from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the county elections office; Ball Ground Public Library, 435 Old Canton Road; Hickory Flat Public Library, 2740 E. Cherokee Drive; Rose Creek Public Library, 4476 Towne Lake Parkway; and Woodstock Public Library, 7735 Main St.

On Nov. 2, registered voters can participate in Election Day voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at polls countywide. No polling places have changed since the July primary elections.

The deadline to register to vote in the general election is Monday.

While Cherokee County voters lean heavily toward Republican candidates, which often leads to mainly one-party races, the general election includes six local contests with Democratic contenders.

Bill Haffner of the Clayton community, chairman of the Cherokee County Democratic Party, said his party is working to get members mobilized.

"We certainly hope the Democratic turnout is larger than it usually is," he said. "We are trying to let everyone know we are competing."

Jeff Duncan of Ball Ground, chairman of the Cherokee County Republican Party, said the party is aggressively pushing for people to vote. The party will open its local campaign office today at the Riverstone Village shopping center in Canton, with a free "meet and greet" event at 6 p.m.

"We are trying to have more of a presence with people on the ground," he said about efforts to encourage voting, adding it's more of a challenge in a non-presidential election.

Local Republican incumbents facing Democratic challengers include Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) versus Patrick Thompson of Woodstock and in the state House, Rep. Charlice Byrd (R-Woodstock) vs. Lillian Burnaman of Woodstock, Rep. Sean Jerguson (R-Holly Springs) vs. Bill Brown of Woodstock and Rep. Calvin Hill (R-Hickory Flat) vs. Stephanie Webb of Hickory Flat.

For the Cherokee County school board, Republican Rob Usher of Towne Lake and Democrat Alice Archey of Towne Lake are vying for the Post 6 seat currently held by Debi Radcliff. Republican Michael Geist of southeast Cherokee and Democrat Tony Guice of Woodstock are running for the Post 3 seat currently held by Dr. Gary Puckett.

Cherokee County State Court Judge Alan Jordan of Union Hill also is up for re-election on Nov. 2, with a challenge from county Magistrate Judge Joe Oczkowski of Woodstock in the non-partisan race.

The county government's SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) will be up for renewal on the ballot. The proposal would extend the 1-percent tax for six years beginning in July 2012.

The ballot will be dominated by statewide races with the governor's race at the top between Republican Nathan Deal and Democrat Roy Barnes. Libertarian John Monds and write-in candidates David Byrne and Neal Horsely also are in the race.

U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson will face off against Democrat Michael Thurmond, Libertarian Chuck Donovan and write-in candidates Raymond Beckwith, Brian Russell Brown and Steve Davis.

Voters also will pick a lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state school superintendent, insurance commissioner, agriculture commissioner, labor commissioner, public service commissioner, state supreme court justice and state appeals court judge.

U.S. Rep. Tom Price (R-Roswell), who represents all of Cherokee County as well as portions of Cobb, Fulton and DeKalb, faces a write-in challenge from Sean Greenberg of Canton.

There are five state amendments on the ballot including: allowing the state legislature to approve agreements that could encourage a monopoly; imposing a $10 trauma charge on certain passenger motor vehicle registrations; allow the Department of Transportation to enter into multi-year construction agreements without obligating present funds for the full cost; allowing the state government to enter into multi-year contracts with vendors who guarantee savings due to energy improvements; and allowing owners of industrial property to remove that zoning.

A referendum question to exempt a business's inventory from state property tax also is on the ballot.

Voters in the City of Holly Springs also can cast ballots on Nov. 2 for municipal elections.

The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Holly Springs City Hall.

Councilwoman Dee Phillips faces a challenge from Kevin Epperson and an open seat left by Councilman Tommy Sanders, who is not seeking re-election, will be sought by Kyle Whitaker and Michael Zenchuk.