EARLY VOTING: Mayor, City Council, CMS among key races

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Early voting begins Thursday for Charlotte's new mayor and dozens of other local races.

Early voter turnout could be enough to swing important races this election year, and one of the stops thousands of voters will make will be at the annual Mallard Creek Barbecue.

Volunteers were preparing early Thursday morning to start cooking, even though the signature campaign event is still a week away.

Mayoral candidates Vi Lyles and Kenny Smith are both expected to campaign at the barbecue next week.

Polls open at 8 a.m. for early voting in Mecklenburg County. Early voters can cast their ballots at the Hal Marshall Annex in uptown.

Another 16 early voting locations will open next Saturday.

[CLICK HERE for a map of early voting sites]

Channel 9 discovered that more than 18,700 people voted early in the general election in 2015. This year, early voters could decide many important local races.

City Council will have at least two new at-large members, along with new council members in at least four districts.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members are also up for election, and voters will have to consider approving a $1 billion bond package that would expand and improve CMS schools.

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Cox Media Group