A constant stream of voters kicked off early voting on Monday at six advance voting precincts across the county.

At the end of the day, 1,748 had cast ballots.

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They are among 420,741 registered voters in the county as of the June 16 registration deadline, an increase of 2,092 new voters for the July 15 primary.

Of that number, 368,805 are active voters, meaning they have voted in the last three elections.

Linda Latimore, DeKalb's elections director, has predicted a 54 percent voter turnout for the July 15 primary, when voters will pick the county's next chief executive officer, sheriff, most of its county commissioners, clerk of Superior Court and most of its state senators and representatives because there are no Republican challengers in the Nov. 4 general election. Runoffs will be held Aug. 5.

The county's six Advance Voting Precincts in Decatur, Lithonia, Tucker and Dunwoody are open through July 11. Registered voters can cast ballots 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at any of the locations.

Glenda Wood, who manages advance and absentee voting for the Elections office, said as of Monday, 4,435 people had voted in person and with absentee ballots by mail.

The Elections office will mail the last absentee ballots on July 11. All ballots returned to the office by 7 p.m. on July 15 will be counted.

Voters who don't cast ballots by 7 p.m. Friday must wait until election day to vote. There will be not advance voting on July 14.

For Lonita Collier, who cast her ballot on Monday at the DeKalb Voter Registration and Elections office on Memorial Drive, the primary's three big races are CEO, sheriff and House District 91, which's seat being vacated by Stan Watson. He is one of five candidates for CEO, along with Joe Bembry, Burrell Ellis, Ann Kimbrough and Steen Miles.

Collier voted for Brown for sheriff, picked Otis Marks II in the District 91 race, and Kimbrough for CEO.

"The CEO is tasked with taking the county forward so he's the one that will have to put that vision into reality," she said. "That is very important. Ann Kimbrough is experienced."

Mel and Kathy Hatfield of Avondale Estates would not reveal who they voted for in the CEO race.

"Let's just say we've been unhappy with the current administration," Mel Hatfield said.

The Rev. Dr. William E. Flippin Sr., pastor of Greater Piney Grove Baptist Church in Atlanta, and his wife, Sylvia, also voted at the Elections office on Monday. They said they picked Kimbrough.

"I was looking for someone with experience, responsive to the citizens and a coalition builder," Flippin said.

In the House District 92 race, he stayed with incumbent Pam Stephenson.

Eugene Tolliver is a staunch supporter of Burrell Ellis.

"I'm not ashamed of it," he said. "He's the man, he's an accountant, he understands finance. Raising taxes is the government's way of getting out of trouble. That is not how a government should be run. He won't do that."

Sisters Michelle and Donna Hunter, who live in Decatur, both voted for Watson.

"I was looking for a candidate that not only cares about North DeKalb, but about South DeKalb as well," Michelle Hunter said. "I got his flier in the mail and he seems like he is for all of DeKalb County and I like his legislative background."

Shirley Glaeden of Stone mountain was hyped about the sheriff race between incumbent Thomas Brown, Clarkston Police Chief Tony Scipio and Fulton County deputy sheriff Aldranon English.

She said she stayed with Brown.

"I like him better," she said. "I think that he was doing a good job."