Early voting in Richmond County for the Nov. 3 election begins today.

Voters can cast early ballots through Oct. 30 at the Board of Elections office at 530 Greene St. Two other polling sites will open Oct. 26.

Three Augusta Commission seats and a Richmond County Board of Education seat are up for grabs.

The deadline to register to vote also is today. Applications are available at the Board of Elections office and online at www.augusta.gov.

The applications can either be hand-delivered or mailed if postmarked by 5 p.m. today.

The Board of Elections voting site will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays until Oct. 23. Polls will open at Henry Brigham Recreation Center at 2463 Golden Camp Road and Warren Road Recreation Center at 300 Warren Road from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 26-30.

Lynn Bailey, the executive director of the Board of Elections, said last week that she expected a small turnout for early voting and expected everything to go smoothly.

Voters must present one of six approved forms of identification if they vote in person.

People who wish to vote by mail must submit a written request to the board by fax or mail. The request should include the person's name, address, birth date and date of election, according to the office.

Those voting by mail do not have to provide identification, and election workers will complete signature verification.

Reach Erin Zureick at (706) 823-3344 or erin.zureick@augustachronicle.com.