Early voting begins today for two Hall County elections and one Gainesville election.

On the three ballots: the Clermont City Council race, Flowery Branch City Council race and the Gainesville City Board of Education race.

The Gainesville school board election will be held at the Hall County elections office. Voters in Flowery Branch need to head to their city hall.

The Clermont election will be held at Clermont Town Hall.

Early voting runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday in Gainesville, and from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. the same days in Flowery Branch. In Clermont, it will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Clermont Town Hall is closed Fridays.

Charlotte Sosebee-Hunter, interim chief registrar and director of elections for Hall County, said if people know who they are going to vote for, then the process shouldn’t take longer than 10 minutes.

For the 2005 municipal general election, Sosebee-Hunter said voter turnout was less than 10 percent. She said she hopes for better turnout this time, though generally not as many people vote early as on election day, which is Nov. 6 this year.

Sosebee-Hunter said voters need to remember that the school board race is a city election for Gainesville residents only.

"It does not include the county voters," she said.

If you’re voting early this week don’t forget Georgia’s new law that requires you to present one of six forms of photo identification before you cast your ballot.

The following types of photo identification are acceptable: any valid state or federal government-issued photo ID; a Georgia driver’s license, even if expired; valid employee photo ID from any branch, department, agency or entity of the U.S. government, Georgia or any county, municipality, board, authority or other entity of this state

A valid U.S. passport ID, U.S. military photo ID or tribal photo ID is also acceptable.

If you do not have one of the six acceptable forms of photo ID, Georgia offers a free Voter Identification Card. An identification card can be issued at any county registrar’s office or Department of Driver Services Office.

You are not required to include any identification when you vote absentee by mail.