Voters in Walker and Catoosa counties – and across Georgia – will head to the polls today for the general primary election, which in many cases could decide the eventual winners. The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.

In Walker and Catoosa counties, there are several hot races.

In Walker County the race between sole commissioner Bebe Heiskell and challenger Paul Shaw is getting the most attention. There are no Democrats running, so the winner of tonight’s race will become commissioner.

In Catoosa County, the race between five candidates for sheriff is the biggest draw. The candidates are Larry Black, Mike Helton, Jeff Holcomb, Ben Scott and Gary Sisk. To win, a candidate must get at least half of the votes and so many are predicting there will be runoff between the two top vote-getters. If a runoff is needed, it would be held Aug. 21. Meanwhile, a sixth sheriff’s candidate – Lt. Mark Cruise with the Fort Oglethorpe Police Department – wants to get placed on the ballot as an independent candidate. If this happens, the winner of the general primary would face Cruise in the general election on Nov. 6.

The race between Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit district attorney Herbert “Buzz” Franklin and challenger Doug Woodruff is also being watched closely. The judicial circuit includes Catoosa, Walker, Chattooga and Dade counties, so the winner will be decide by voters in all four counties. There are no Democratic challengers, so the winner tonight will be the district attorney.

Voters will also be deciding whether to approve TSPLOST, a one percent sales tax that would be used to pay for transportation projects. For this proposed tax, Walker and Catoosa counties are part of the 15-county northwest Georgia district, so voters in these 15 counties would decided if the tax will be collected. If voters overall in these 15 counties approve the tax, it would be implemented across the district, even if a majority of voters in a particular county did not approve it.