Tuesday's election will be a historic one.
In the presidential election, the outcome will present the nation's first black president or the first woman vice president.
Some of the key national and state elections, with candidates in alphabetical order; and citizen initiatives (also known as Issues):
President
• John McCain, R-Ariz., vs. Barack Obama, D-Ill.
Others running: Bob Barr, Libertarian party, Chuck Baldwin, Constitution party, Cynthia McKinney, Green party, Ralph Nader, independent
Maine has four electoral votes; 270 needed to win presidency.
U.S. Senate
• Thomas H. Allen, Democrat from Portland vs. Susan M. Collins, Republican from Bangor
U.S. Congress
• Chellie Pingree, Democrat from North Haven, vs. Charles E. Summers, Republican from Scarborough, 1st District
• John N. Frary, Republican from Farmington, vs. Michael H. Michaud, Democrat from East Millinocket, 2nd District

Key issues

• People's Veto $ Question: "Do you want to reject the parts of a new law that change the method of funding Maine's Dirigo Health Program through charging health insurance companies a fixed fee on paid claims and adding taxes to malt liquor, wine and soft drinks?" YES/NO
• Casino Issue $ Question: "Do you want to allow a certain Maine company to have the only casino in Maine, to be located in Oxford County, if part of the revenue is used to fund specific state programs?" YES/NO
• Bond Issue $ Question: "Do you favor a $3,400,000 bond issue to support drinking water programs, to support the construction of wastewater treatment facilities and to leverage $17,000,000 in other funds?" YES/NO

Voting places
Every Maine town and city has its own places where people vote. Call your town office or city hall for details about where you vote. Find your polling place online: maine.gov/portal/ government/edemocracy/lookup_polling_place.php.

Voting hours
Voting places open Tuesday between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., depending on the size of the town; and they close at 8 p.m. Local officials can give you the exact opening time for your community.

Online voters' guide
From the Morning Sentinel and the Kennebec Journal:
centralmaine.mainetoday.com/election_2008.html