Early and absentee voting are under way in DeKalb County through Nov. 26. The polls opened on Monday because the Thanksgiving holiday will leave only three days for voting the week before the Dec. 2 runoff. There are 16 candidates on the runoff ballot.

In five local races, former DeKalb prosecutor Tangela Barrie is facing administrative law judge Johnny Mason for a DeKalb Superior Court seat.

For the DeKalb School Board, DeKalb Development Authority chairman Eugene "Gene" Walker faces corporate sales support manager Ernest Brown in the District 9 special election. In District 8, retired DeKalb educator Pam Speaks faces Pamela Buncum, a homemaker/accountant. In District 4, Shayna Steinfeld faces businessman H. Paul Womack Jr., and in District 2, schoolteacher Ella Smith faces retired educator Don McChesney.

Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss faces Democrat Jim Martin for the U.S. Senate, and in two state races, Jim Powell faces Lauren McDonald for a seat on the Public Service Commission, and attorneys Mike Sheffield and Sara Doyle are vying for the Georgia Court of Appeals.

The polls are open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays only at the DeKalb Voter Registration and Election, 4380 Memorial Drive.

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