(The Center Square) – North Carolina’s in-person early voting starts Thursday, and the second Primary Election Day is May 14.

Runoffs, or second primaries, are necessary following the March 5 Super Tuesday results because state law permits second-place candidates to file the request if no candidate in a race receives more than 30% of the votes. There are two statewide races, another on the route to Congress, and one local duel each in Gaston and Orange counties.

Turnout is expected to be low. In the initial primary, which included a 46-day window for absentee early voting by mail, more than 1.8 million of the nearly 7.5 million registered voters – 24% – participated.

The last time Council of State races were in the second primary was 2012. Not to be lost in context is that day for the election was in mid-July, most likely impacting the 2.4% turnout. Five statewide races were on the ballot, drawing just more than 150,000 voters from the just under 6.3 million registered.

Absentee ballots started going out by request on March 30 for this second primary. The 45-day window closes with polls on May 14.

There are Republican primaries for lieutenant governor between Hal Weatherman and Jim O’Neill, and for auditor between Jack Clark and Dave Boliek. The 13th Congressional District’s Republican primary matches Kelly Daughtry and Brad Knott.

The Orange County Schools Board of Education race between Jennifer Moore and Bonnie Hauser took a turn after early voting began. Both were board members trying to stay on until Moore resigned last Wednesday, and the board accepted Monday. She had claimed a doctorate in business administration from Bellevue University; the school has no such record.

Ballots were already in the mail and returned and will be in front of voters through the process.

In Gaston County, the Republican primary for the South Point Township District is between Jim Bailey and Ronnie Worley.