Hundreds of absentee ballots are being cast in the three county’s municipal runoff elections with just a few more days left until the election.

Thursday marks the last day a voter may apply for a regular absentee ballot, and Monday is the last day a voter may apply for an emergency absentee ballot if he or she is requ-ired by his or her empl-oyer to be out of the county on Election Day.

If an absentee ballot is returned by mail, it must be postmarked by Oct. 8. The deadline for hand-delivery is the close of business on Oct. 8.

So far, some 226 absentee ballots have been cast in Opp. There are more than 4,000 registered voters in Opp, and during the municipal election in August, 2,078 residents cast votes.

City Clerk Connie Smith said the number of absentee ballots “is about the same as last month’s election.”

“We generally see this amount of absentee ballots in any election in Opp,” Smith said.

In last month’s election, there were 167 absentee ballots cast in the mayor’s race with current Opp mayor H.D. Edgar receiving 89; current councilman Jimmy Rogers receiving 65; and John Bartholomew receiving 13.

Tuesday’s runoff will be between Edgar and Bartholomew, while there will also be runoffs in District 2 between Sue Bowdoin and T.D. Morgan; and in District 3 between Mickey Crew and Mike Booth.

In Red Level, town clerk Tanya Cook said they have had about 20 absentee ballots cast for the runoff.

“That’s a few more than this time than last month,” she said.

Cook said she wasn’t sure if this was more or less than the last election because this was her first election.

There is a runoff between Willie J. Hendrix and Deborah Hoffman for mayor of Red Level.

In Gantt, Town Clerk Christy Cartwright said that she has had six absentee applications turned in and two ballots turned in.

Last month, Cartwright said there were only two applications filled out and two returned.

“This is the highest I’ve seen since I’ve been here,” Cartwright said.

Mayoral candidates Missy Grissett, the incumbent, and Connie Cauthen will face each other in the runoff.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.