Early voting has begun for special primary elections in two Upstate South Carolina districts.
The elections are for the State Senate District 12 and State House District 21 seats.
The special primary election is on Oct. 21, with the general election scheduled for Dec. 23.
Early primary voting for two Upstate special elections opened Oct. 6 after several members of the Republican Party filed to run in each race.
The South Carolina Senate District 12 and South Carolina House District 21 seats are up for special election after the resignations of Sen. Roger Nutt, R-Spartanburg, and Rep. Bobby Cox, R-Greenville.
Both races will have Republican primaries. South Carolina does not have closed primaries, so every eligible voter in each of the districts will be able to vote regardless of their party registration.
More: Primaries coming up in October, here are candidates vying for Upstate legislative seats
Here are the candidates:
State Senate District 12
Hope Blackley, Republican, former Spartanburg County Clerk of Court.
Justin Bradley, Republican, business attorney and former Spartanburg County council member.
Lee Bright, Republican, former state senator for District 12.
Sundra Proctor Smith, Democrat, a Chapman High School educator and former candidate for Duncan Town Council.
State House District 21
Reggy Baston, Republican, former firefighter, police officer and small business owner.
Dianne Mitchell, Republican, former president of the Greenville Republican Women’s Club and former teacher.
Steve Nail, Republican, dean of Anderson University’s College of Business and Economics.
Jack Stott, Republican, chairman of the Upstate Young Republicans.
The Spartanburg County early voters can cast their ballots the county office on North Church Street, while Greenville County voters can vote at McAllister Square on South Pleasantburg Drive. Early voting closes on Oct. 17. The polls are open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The special election primary date is Oct. 21, and the full election day in both races is Dec. 23.
Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com