What you need to know as you head to the polls on Election Day

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Today is Election Day.

The biggest showdown on the ballot is the one for governor. Republican Greg Abbott is up against Democrat Wendy Davis. It will be the first time the state has had a new governor in 14 years.

This is a race Democrats are watching nationally to see if they can gain any ground on Republicans in the state.

In the lieutenant governor's race, GOP's Dan Patrick takes on Democrat Leticia van de Putte.

All weekend long, there were get-out-the-vote efforts by both parties.

"Some of us don't live politics like we do," said Harris County GOP chair Paul Simpson. "They're normal people who want to watch football on a Sunday afternoon. We've got a lot of dedicated supporters here making phone calls, knocking on doors."

Many voters say they don't even know who the candidates are.

"I'm sure people would like to pretend like they know," said Rachel Barr. "But for me, I don't even watch the news half the time because I don't want to know."

"If you want my vote, come talk to me," said John Lee. "Talk to me, convince me you deserve it, and I'll vote for you for the rest of my life."

Early voting is down in every county in the Houston metropolitan area.

In Harris County, early voting is down 15 percent, with political analysts saying slightly more registered Republicans have cast ballots than registered Democrats. Statewide, early voting figures are slightly higher than usual.

But politics isn't the only issue before voters. Also on the ticket is traffic. Voters must decide whether the state should dip into the rainy day fund. The idea is to use from there to help fix and build roads to relieve congestion.

There are some things you need to know as you head to the polls:

• First, you must be registered to vote and this needed to be done weeks ago. All eligible voters have been mailed a voter registration certificate or card with their name, address and precinct number.


• On Election Day, you can only vote at your assigned polling place. Polls open at 7am and stay open until 7pm.


• Also, be sure to bring an approved form of photo ID when you head to the polls. It's required to cast your ballot. Some accepted forms of identification include drivers licenses, passports or an election identification certificate.