AUGUSTA, Ga (WJBF)- Early voting begins Monday in Richmond County. A big item on the November ballot is funding a new James Brown Arena.

To fund the project, voters need to vote FOR the “Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax” – also known as C-SPLOST. This is for a half-cent sales tax.

If passed, the C-SPLOST would fund the new arena that Coliseum Authority has been saying is necessary for years now.

The authority believes this is a better option than the property tax– because anyone spending money in Richmond County will help pay for the arena.

It would tear down the one that’s on 7th and 8th Streets, and build a new and improved one in the same location.

“It’s so important, if we want to move Augusta forward, that we get people to come out and vote. The new arena will be a great asset to Augusta.,” said Cedric Johnson, Chairman of the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority.

The General Election is November 7th. Early voting polls opened this morning at the Augusta Municipal Building in the Linda Beasley Room at 8:30 a.m. and were scheduled to stay open until 5 p.m.

More advanced voting locations will open on Monday, October 30th, and be available for early voting until Friday, November 3rd.