Early voting for the May 8 primary starts Thursday.

Twin Counties residents will have about two-and-a-half weeks to cast their votes at no-excuse, one-stop voting sites.

Nash and Edgecombe counties each will have two early voting sites that will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays until May 5.

“It’s an excellent opportunity to choose when you want to go vote,” Edgecombe County Board of Elections Director Jerry Spruell said.

Early voting also is a way for people to avoid long lines or waits they might face on primary election day, elections officials said.

Sometimes things come up that could prevent someone from getting to the polls on election day, Nash County Board of Elections Director John Kearney said.

He said people can avoid that problem by voting before primary election day.

“We encourage people to come out early,” Kearney said.

People should be able to get in and out of the early voting sites quickly, Kearney said.

Nash County’s Board of Elections will have an early voting site in the auditorium of the Nash County Agriculture Center, 1006 Eastern Ave., in Nashville. The county also will have an early voting site at the Booker T. Washington Alumni Center, 225 S. Church St., in Rocky Mount.

Edgecombe County’s Board of Elections will have an early voting site in the auditorium of the Edgecombe County Administration Building, 201 Saint Andrew St., in Tarboro. The county also will have a site at the Nash-Rocky Mount Board of Education Administration Building, 800 N. Fairview Road, in Rocky Mount.

“It ought to make it very convenient for someone to go vote,” Spruell said.

A variety of state and local seats are up for election this year. Twin Counties voters also will help determine the outcome of a proposed amendment to the N.C. Constitution that would reaffirm the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Nash County voters will vote on a $9.5 million bond referendum that would help fund a new Continuing Education and Public Services Training Facility at Nash Community College.

Last Friday was the deadline to register to vote on the day of the May 8 primary. However, anyone who missed the deadline can go to the early voting sites to register and vote. They must bring a form of identification that shows their name and proof-of-residence if they need to register.

People cannot change their party affiliations at the early voting sites.

People who will turn 18 years old by the general election are eligible to vote in the primary. However, they will only be allowed to vote on items or races that will also appear on the ballot for the general election.

Sample ballots are available online. People should review the ballots before they vote so they know who and what they will be voting for, Kearney said. Some voters will notice changes because of redistricting.

To view a sample ballot, visit the N.C. State Board of Elections’ website at www.ncsbe.gov.