Driving past the Beaufort County Board of Elections, you might see a few more vehicles than usual in the parking lot. Perhaps, you might witness the doors of the BOE opening and swinging shut again more often than they would on the average day. People also might wonder about the election signs in the grassy area between the BOE parking lot and Cowell Farm Road.

Some might wonder, “Why the increased activity at the BOE?” Others, however, know the reason: there’s an election going on right now.

If you’re not paying attention it might be easy to miss. The high profile races that inundate the TV and radio airwaves with advertising aren’t a part of this election, though the winner of it could go on to represent Beaufort County on the federal level.

It’s a special election, a race for the 3^rd Congressional District, the one that became available when longtime Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. died early this year. Twenty-six people tossed their hats into the ring to take his place. While Democratic and Libertarian candidates were established during the first primary in April, no single Republican won the required 30% of the vote necessary to send him or her to the September election. A second primary was needed to make that happen, and it’s the second Republican primary that’s going on right now.

There are about 46,000 people in Beaufort County. Roughly 33,000 of them are registered to vote. Of those 33,000, approximately 33% are registered Republicans, about 10,000 voters.

One stop voting opened on June 19. So far, 502 people have voted in this primary — 502 of thousands.

One stop voting will close on July 5. Election day for this primary is July 9. That leaves seven days total to vote in this special election.

If you want your vote to be a part of eastern North Carolina’s representation in Washington, make sure you cast it — soon.