The days dwindle down to a precious few, and so do your options for voting in the general election.

Friday is the last day for early voting, and the El Paso County Clerk and Recorder’s office has extended hours at two of its three early voting locations.

The early voting center at the county clerk’s office at Centennial Hall, 200 S. Cascade, will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The centers at Chapel Hills Mall (below the food court) and Citadel Mall (near JC Penney) will open two hours earlier Friday morning, at 8, and will be open till 7 p.m.

As of Wednesday, the number of early voters in the county was 26,134, the county clerk’s office reported Thursday. It also said 85,385 mail-in ballots have been returned out of 152,895 requested.

Registered voters can request a mail-in ballot until 5 p.m. today at the Centennial Hall office. To assure that they arrive by the 7 p.m. Tuesday deadline, mail-in ballots should be mailed immediately (with 59 cents postage), or can be hand-delivered to the Centennial Hall office right up till the deadline.

After Friday, the only way to get a ballot will be the old-fashioned way — at your polling place on Tuesday, Election Day.

Polls will open Tuesday at 7 a.m. They are scheduled to close at 7 p.m., but anyone in line to vote at closing time has the right to cast a ballot.

The locations of polling places are available on the county clerk’s website. Go to http://car.elpasoco.com/election, then link to “2008 Elections” and “2008 Polling Places.” Or contact the county clerk’s election department at 575-VOTE.

Air Force linebacker Hunter Altman (32) in action against Southern Utah Saturday, Aug. 30, 2008, at Falcon Stadium. Air Force won 41-7. Photo by (The Gazette, Kevin Kreck)