TIFTON — Tift County voters, along with the rest of Georgia, can start heading to the polls.

Early voting for the May 22 primary election opened Monday, as voters pick party nominees for the governor’s office, as well as a slew of other state and local offices.

With a term-limited governor and several incumbents retiring or stepping down, much is at stake this election season.

Right now, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle is the one to beat on the Republican side, according to a poll released Friday by the Atlanta Journal Constitution/Channel 2 Action News.

That poll showed Cagle with 41 percent of the vote. Secretary of State Brian Kemp was a distant second with 10 percent with former state Sen. Hunter Hill not far behind him with 9 percent. Businessman Clay Tippins had 4 percent; state Sen. Michael Williams came last with 3 percent.

But about one-third of Republican voters had not yet picked their candidate, according to the poll. That race is expected to go to a runoff.

On the Democratic side, former House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams had 33 percent of support while her opponent, former state representative Stacey Evans, had 15 percent, according to an AJC/Channel 2 Action News released last week.

About half of Democratic voters haven’t yet settled on a candidate, the survey found.

Multiple local offices are up for election on the Tift County Board of Commissioners and the Tift County Board of Education.

For County Commission District 1, incumbent Donnie Hester (D) is being challenged by Raymond Teal Sr. (D).

Robert Setters (R), who holds the district 3 seat on the county commission, is being challenged by Tony McBrayer (R).

County Commission District 4 seat is a four way race, with incumbent Stan Stalnaker (R) being challenged by Jonathan Cassell (R), Jamie Cater (R) and Ronald Norman (R).

Greg Wood (R), district 6 county commissioner, is being challenged by Lester Potts (R).

The Tift County Board of Education also has four seats on the ballot.

John W. Smith (D), representing district 2, is running unopposed.

The district 4 seat, currently held by Keith Barr, who is not running for reelection, is being sought by Richard Golden (R) and Jamie Hill (R).

Jarrett Haswell (R) and Sam Wright (R) are both running for the district 5 seat, which is currently held by Marian Richbourg, who is not running for reelection.

Melanie Roberson’s district 6 seat is being sought by Jimmy Cargle (R), Rusty Harrelson (R) and Jo Windom (R). Roberson is not running for reelection.

TSPLOST, which will implement a regional 1 percent sales tax over a 10-year period to fund transportation improvements, is also be on the ballot.

TSPLOST is being voted on for the entire 18-county region Tift County is part of, and will pass or fail for the entire region.

Along with Tift, Atkinson, Bacon, Ben Hill, Berrien, Brantley, Brooks, Charlton, Clinch, Coffee, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, Pierce, Turner and Ware form the region.

In Tift County, nearly 100 voters have turned out for the first two days of early voting, according to Leila Dollison, election supervisor with the Tift County Board of Elections.

The board office is open for early voting 8 a.m. — 5 p.m., Monday through Friday up until the election.

It will also be open Saturday, May 12, 9 a.m. — 4 p.m.

The office is located at 222 Chestnut Avenue, Building B.

Sample ballots can be found on the Secretary of State’s site at mvp.sos.ga.gov.