There are some competitive races this primary season heading into the election.

Early voting started Feb. 20 and ends Friday, March 2. Election day is March 6.

Local races appearing on the Jefferson County ballot range from county offices to the federal level.

There are four vying for the 172^nd Judicial District judgeship. Republican Mitch Templeton will face the winner of the Democrats’ primary the general election. The Democrats are Kent Johns, Melody Chappell and Tina Bradley.

The Precinct 8 justice of peace primary race will have four candidates from the Democratic side. They are incumbent Tom Gillam III and challengers Antoine Leonard Freeman, Joseph Guillory II and Melanie Ned.

Jeff Branick, Republican incumbent for Jefferson County judge, will face a familiar face for the Nov. 6, 2018, general election. Nick Lampson, former U.S. congressman from Southeast Texas, will face Branick in the election. Neither candidate has a challenger in the primary elections.

Branick switched from Democrat to Republican earlier this year. Lampson served in the House of Representatives from 1997 to 2005 in the 9^th Congressional District. He lost that seat in 2004. He was then elected to the 22^nd Congressional seat and served from 2007-2009. He was defeated in 2012 by Randy Weber.

Carolyn Guidry, Democrat, is the incumbent county clerk for Jefferson County. She will face Republican Bailey Wingate in the November general election.

Jamie Smith, Democrat and incumbent district clerk, is running unopposed.

Tim Funchess, Republican and incumbent treasurer for the county, will face Democratic challenger Charlie Hallmark in November.

Brent Weaver, Republican and incumbent Precinct 2 county commissioner, is running unopposed.

Incumbent Marc DeRouen, Precinct 2 justice of the peace, is running unopposed.

Brad Burnett, Republican and incumbent Precinct 7 justice of the peace, is running unopposed.

Dade Phelan, State Rep. for District 21, Republican, and Joe Deshotel, State Rep. for District 22, Democrat, will run unopposed.

Incumbent Republican Randy Weber will face a primary challenge from Bill “Sarge” Sargent for the U.S. Representative District 14. For the Democratic Party, Adrienne Bell and Levy Barnes Jr. will see who will be the nominee for the seat.

Early voting times, dates and locations for Mid and South Jefferson County are as follows:

• Port Arthur Sub-Courthouse, 525 Lakeshore Dr. in Port Arthur, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Friday
• Port Arthur YMCA, 6760 Ninth Ave. in Port Arthur, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Friday
• Marion & Ed Hughes Public Library, 2712 Nederland Ave. in Nederland, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Friday
• Groves Recreation Center, 6150 39^th St. in Groves, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Friday
• Effie & Wilton Hebert Library, 2025 Merriman St. in Port Neches, 7 a.m.–7 p.m. Monday–Friday

Allison Nathan-Getz, tax assessor-collector for Jefferson County, said 18,000 residents were added to the suspended list, which includes residents whose addresses the county can’t verify.

“They’re still registered, but when they’re at the poll they need to get a statement of residence form to verify where they live,” she said. “They can vote provisionally and come to our office to verify within six days after the election.”

Nathan-Getz said one exception where a resident may not vote in Jefferson County is if they’ve registered in another county in the past six months.

This year, 18,000 on the suspended list is a large number, she said, with numbers usually running at 10,000 for the year. For instance, there were 7,500 on the list in 2015.

“We’ve pared down the list, but the hurricane (Harvey) blew it up. People can vote, but we need to verify the list. We mailed out the (voter registration) cards, but they were undeliverable.”