A thin stream of voters went to polls early to help decide which Democratic challenger will face incumbent U.S. Sen. Trent Lott in November.

Voters have a choice between business consultant Bill Bowlin of Hickory Flat and state Rep. Erik Fleming of Clinton. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and were to remain open until 7 p.m.

Bowlin and Fleming made today’s runoff in a primary election that was held June 6 and had initially four candidates. Fleming finished first statewide with 44.1 percent of the vote and Bowlin second with 22.1 percent. They eliminated businessman James O’Keefe of Long Beach, who received 19.9 percent, and retiree Catherine M. Starr of Hattiesburg, who received 14 percent.

The runoff is necessary because a majority of votes was required to win the nomination and neither candidate received such a number.

Lott, from Pascagoula, is seeking a fourth consecutive term in the Senate. Today’s winner and Libertarian Party candidate Harold Taylor will also be on the Nov. 7 ballot.

In the other primary election held three weeks ago, 2nd District U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Bolton held off a challenge from state Rep. Chuck Espy of Clarksdale, 64.4 percent to 34.8 percent. Thompson is to face the Republican nominee, Tchula mayor Yvonne R. Brown, in the general election.

Today’s runoff is also the second election day for voters to use touch-screen voting machines, new this year for all but five of the state’s counties, including Warren.

Turnout was 14 percent in the primary and might be even lower at Warren County’s 22 polling places.

Five people had voted in the first 45 minutes at Vicksburg Auditorium on Monroe Street, said Precinct Manager Carla Jones. &#8220We’re ready to roll,” she said.

In the first 50 minutes polls were open 11 voters had voted at the county’s largest precinct, Culkin. Poll manager Jan Whatley said most of those had been cast by some of the 13 workers at the precinct.

The number of voting machines set up at Culkin this morning was five, down from 19 for the June 6 election. Poll workers were also able to arrive there an hour later, at 6 a.m., in part because they had a day of experience setting up the machines.

&#8220Practice makes perfect,” Whatley said.

Voting was light this morning at both the American Legion and Plumbers and Pipefitters Union precincts.

&#8220We’ve had three voters so far,” Marilyn Patterson, manager at the American Legion, said at 7:30. &#8220It’ll be slower today than last time.”

But all four machines were working this morning. During the primary election, all six machines were not working for the first half hour of voting, forcing voters to vote by affidavit or to come back later to cast their vote electronically.

At Plumbers and Pipefitters, two votes had been cast by 7:40, said manager Sidney Tucker.

&#8220I was thinking we might get 100 voters, but we haven’t really had many this morning. I’m hoping we’ll have 50 by the end of the day,” Tucker said.

At No. 7 Fire Station three people had voted by about 7:30 a.m.

&#8220It’s getting easier,” manager Sue Campbell said of the use of the new machines. &#8220People are learning how to use them.”

Today’s primary is open to all registered voters in the state regardless of whether they voted June 6. Voters neither register by nor are restricted in their primary voting by party affiliation. No Republican primary was held this year in Mississippi.