Five Republican candidates have filed so far for the county board, which has three vacant seats. The filing deadline for candidates is this Friday. This year&squo;s primary election will be held on May 6. Republican incumbents Harry Denton, Ted Owens and Tom Pack face challenges for their seats from Jo Ann Miksa-Blackwell and David Moore.The three Republican incumbents currently represent a majority on the five-member county board, which also includes Democrats Tommy Melton and Warren Watson.Denton was elected to the county board in 2002, and Pack and Owens got on in 2004.Miksa-Blackwell ran previously for the county board in 2006. She got through the Republican primary, but came up short in the general election. David Moore, who filed at the same time with Owens and Pack this year, is a political newcomer.This year&squo;s local elections also include a race for three open seats on the Polk County Board of Education. Incumbents Cindy Allen, Melanie Talbot and Rick Covil have filed to retain their seats and so far face no challengers.The registration deadline for voters who plan to vote on May 6 is April 11. People who plan to vote during the state&squo;s one-stop, early voting can take advantage of the state&squo;s new same-day registration if they are not already registered. The one-stop voting will take place from April 17 to May 3.In the primary election, voters must vote in the primary of the party with which they are registered. Unaffiliated voters may vote in either party&squo;s primary.As of Wednesday, Polk had 5,494 registered Republicans, 4,890 Democrats and 4,078 Unaffiliated.