Voters head to the polls Tuesday. Here’s what Montgomery County voters need to know.

Montgomery County voters will head to the polls to choose their new top official Tuesday and a slew of other county leaders — including all 11 County Council members and two new school board members.

Early voting ended Thursday. Polls open at 7 a.m Tuesday and close at 8 p.m. Find your polling place here or by texting “FIND” to 77788.

Fifty-eight percent of registered county voters are Democrats, according to the state Board of Elections. Democratic nominee for county executive Will Jawando, and the Democratic council nominees are widely projected to win the Nov. 3 election.

But one of the most watched races is nonpartisan: the at-large school board race. It pits Omar Lazo against Republican-backed Brenda Diaz, whose candidacy has prompted a flurry of ads warning against her “extreme” views. Diaz, who calls for the return of police officers to Montgomery County Public Schools, said she is “not MAGA,” “not a book banner” and will stand up for parents.

In the county executive race, Jawando, a longtime at-large council member, bested his council colleagues Andrew Friedson and Evan Glass in June’s primary, running on a campaign to boost education funding and affordable housing. Since then, the contest has been mostly quiet, until Jawando had a heart attack last month.

He has had fewer public appearances since, and attended several council meetings virtually, but said he expects to recover fully and is up to the rigors of the job.

Jawando faces Republican Esther Wells, an accountant who has pledged to lower taxes and has taken issue with his refusal to debate her. Jawando has significantly out-fundraised Wells, with more than $1.4 million to Wells’ $53,000.

Voters across Maryland will also weigh in on three ballot questions.

Races to watch

While all council seats are up for reelection, three races are guaranteed to bring newcomers to the county’s top legislative body.

In District 1, school board member and Democratic nominee Julie Yang hopes to fill Friedson’s seat. Former county Republican Party chair Reardon Sullivan has raised more money than any other GOP candidate in the county, $90,949. However, Yang has still out-fundraised Sullivan, with $469,501. Sullivan has issued several attack-ad mailers targeting Yang.

In District 3, Gaithersburg Mayor and Democrat Jud Ashman is up against Republican Ricky Mui. Both are running to replace term-limited council member Sidney Katz.

Laurie-Anne Sayles is the only one of the four at-large council members running for reelection. Democrats Marc Elrich, the current county executive; Scott Goldberg, a former county Democratic party chair; and Karla Silvestre, a school board member; hope to fill the other three seats. Republican Sherwin Wells, a real estate agent and Esther Wells’ brother, is also running for an at-large seat.

In the at-large school board race, the Strong Maryland super PAC has spent tens of thousands of dollars in opposition to Diaz, labeling her a bad fit for deep-blue Montgomery County. Meanwhile, the influential teachers union, along with state and local elected officials, have lined up in support of Montgomery College trustee Lazo.

For District 3 school board race — which includes the Bethesda-Chevy Chase, Winston Churchill, Walter Johnson and Walt Whitman communities — voters will choose between education policy professional Sally McCarthy and systems and analytics professional Cassandra “Cassi” Sung. McCarthy has far out-fundraised Sung and captured more than three times the votes in the June primary.

County residents will also vote in three congressional races, 18 races for Maryland General Assembly seats and three statewide ballot questions that could amend the state constitution. The most debated of those questions is about loosening the rules that control congressional redistricting. The other two are on arbitration reform for state employees and temporary appointments on the Commission on Judicial Disabilities.

Read more about all the candidates and issues on the Montgomery County ballot in The Banner Voter Guide.

Takoma Park city election

Takoma Park residents will choose their mayor and council members Tuesday in the city election. Current Mayor Talisha Searcy faces challenger and former city attorney Tom Gagliardo.

Three wards have contested City Council races. Doug Glynn and Shana Fulcher are seeking the Ward 1 seat now held by Jessica Landman, who is not seeking reelection. In Ward 2, Jim Della-Giacoma and Suzy Stimler hope to fill the seat now held by Cindy Dyballa, who is also not running again. And in Ward 6, Ambroise Agosse is running to unseat incumbent Amy Wesolek.

These races will not appear on the Montgomery County ballot. Takoma Park residents can vote by mail if they’ve already requested a ballot, or in person from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Takoma Park Community Center at 7500 Maple Ave.

How to vote

Check your voter registration here or by texting “CHECK” to 77788.

If you received a mail-in ballot but haven’t sent it back yet, you can drop it off at one of more than 60 drop boxes located throughout the county.

County elections officials encourage mail-in voters who do not want to use a drop box to make sure their ballot is postmarked at a U.S. post office. Only votes postmarked on Election Day will be counted.

If you still need to register to vote, Maryland offers same-day registration at all polling sites. Here is a list of acceptable forms of identification to prove eligibility.

Where to find results

The Banner will post results throughout election night and in the following days as races are called. The state elections board posts unofficial election totals as they are processed.

David Naimon, Montgomery County elections board president, said voters should not be surprised if results aren’t ready on election night, as mail-in and overseas ballots will still need to be processed. The board does not officially declare winners in races until the election is certified, typically more than 10 days following the election.

Every mail-in ballot is canvassed by bipartisan teams under the supervision of the Board of Elections. Voters can observe the canvass in-person or online.