Those planning to vote in the Nov. 4 general election must be registered by Oct. 20, said Jackie Gay with the Escambia County Board of Registrars.

“This year, we got a few extra days because it was changed by the legislature this year,” Gay said. “I would also recommend to anyone who needs to register or to make changes, do it now. Don’t wait.”

Interest seeks to be “picking up a bit,” Gay said.

“Right now, we just under 21,000 active registered voters — 20,931 to be exact,” she said. “I look for that number to grow as we get closer to the election.”

Heading into November, Escambia County residents will cast a ballot in the race for:

• Sheriff, between incumbent Grover Smith (Democratic) and Heath Jackson (Republican);

• Tax Collector, between Todd White (D) and Tim Pettis (R);

• County Commission District 5, between incumbent David Quarker (D) and Katrina Wallace (R); and,

• State Senate District 22, between Susan Smith (D) and Greg Albritton (R).

In addition, voters will be able to vote for various state and national offices, including governor, lieutenant governor and state attorney general. There are also five state-wide amendments on November’s ballot.

To register to vote or change districts because of a recent move, citizens must first visit the Board of Registrars office at the Escambia County Courthouse.

Those who have not voted in four years will have been removed from the registry.

To double-check the status of a voter registration or district, contact the Board of Registrars at (251) 867-0243.

While registration or changes must be made in person at the courthouse, information on voting status can be obtained by phone.