NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It's election day in Massachusetts, unless you're one of the one million voters who have already cast ballots.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; find your polling station here. It's suggested you bring an ID if you're voting for the first time, your registration has been inactive, there may be some question to your status or you have to complete a provisional ballot.

Berkshire County voters will only find a couple of local issues on the ballot this year. They'll be determining the replacement for state Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, who is departing after 10 years representing the far western part of the state, and a number of ballot issues.

Pittsfield will be making two decisions — on who will be their state representative and on adopting the state's Community Preservaion Act to put away funds for local projects.

For state Senate, Democrat Adam Hinds of Pittsfield and Republican Christine Canning-Wilson of Lanesborough are vying for a two-year term representing the 52 communities in the Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden District. Neither has held elected office.

Hinds beat out two primary opponents for a spot on the general election ballot. The first out of the gate following Downing's announcement early this year, the former United Nations negotiator and Buckland native has posed himself as progressive in the same mold as Downing. He's racked up numerous endorsements from local and state Democratic leaders.

He returned to the area after more than a decade to work with the newly developed Pittsfield Partnership Program and became executive director of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition just over a year ago. He's been on leave for the last several months. Hinds is running on economic development through infrastructure and education, lowering energy costs and tackling the heroin epidemic through a comprehensive effort at the local level.

In contrast to Hinds, Canning-Wilson has portrayed herself as the underdog — not a stretch for a conservative in blue Berkshires — and as a can-do candidate. The longtime educator and administrator has her own international experience from teaching oversees and is also a small-business owner.

Much of her conservative leanings are toward protecting 2nd Amendment rights, rooting out fraud to make government more cost-effective and lowering or eliminating taxes that burden businesses and individuals. However, she also supports unions and is limited pro-choice and, not surprisingly, is a strong advocate for education, and would like to see more equity in education funding. She doesn't support her party's presidential candidate.

In Pittsfield, Tricia Farley-Bouvier is defending her 3rd Berkshire seat against challenger Chris Connell, a sitting city councilor. Farley-Bouvier, a Democrat, is seeking a third two-year term after easily defeating a primary challenger. Connell is an independent who says he will also continue to represent Ward 4 on the City Council.

Connell's running on a platform of performance, saying his experience in managing housing and, prior to that, a cluster of convenience stores combined with his municipal office positions him to be an effective legislator. He believes he will be able to bring back more state funding for infrastructure and education, and make more effective progress for the city than his rival has in her five years.

Farley-Bouvier is running on her experience in the Democratically run State House, in contrast to Connell's independent status. During her tenure, she has worked with city officials on obtaining funding for projects and on constituent issues, and worked on legislation ranging from retaining rape kits to broadband expansion. Her focus recently has included mental health issues, the Department of Children and Families and Gateway Cities initiatives.

Pittsfield voters will also determine Question 5, whether the city will adopt the Community Preservation Act. The article has earned the endorsement of numerous city leaders including Mayor Linda Tyer.

Its adoption would allow the city to set a surcharge on tax bills of 1 percent, with the first $100,000 value being exempted. Those funds would be set aside and matched, at a rate of about 30 percent, by the state for use in historical preservation, open space conservation and affordable housing. Advocates estimate the city could see generate about $500,000 a year total.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal is facing two challengers for the 1st Mass District. The former Springfield mayor has served in Congress since 1989, and for the Berkshires since 2013 when the district was redrawn. He has been on the Ways and Means Committee for more than 20 years and has been a strong advocate for preserving Social Security, passenger rail and the Affordable Care Act. He also has championed market tax credits as an economic development catalyst and closing tax loopholes.

He's easily outpolled the handful of challengers who have faced him over the years. This year, Libertarian Thomas T. Simmons and independent Frederick O. Mayock are hoping to change that.

Simmons, of Shelburne Falls, is a Greenfield Community College professor in economics and business with a wide-ranging employment background. His platform includes advocacy for civil liberties, tax reform, elimination of Common Core and other mandates and more local control over education, and a balanced budget. He also vows to set up more satellite offices for a greater presence in what he says are underserved hilltowns.

Mayock is a Springfield teacher with a degree in economics who wants to make"capitalism work for the middle class." He also is for tax reform by exempting the first $40,000 in earnings and the re-implementation of the Glass-Steagall Act regulating banks, and is against casinos and the $15 minimum wage.

Ballot Questions

A yes vote on Question 1 would allow the licensing of one more slots parlor in the state. Its criteria includes being within 1,500 feet of a horse racing track and seems related to a development proposed near Suffolk Downs.

Question 2 on lifting the cap on charter school by 12 has been one of the most contentious on the ballot with millions of dollars coming from out of state in support. Local leaders and teachers unions have rallied against the measure, saying the charter school funding formula has a damaging effect on traditional public schools. There already is one charter school in the county.

Passage of Question 3 would prohibit confining farm animals to cages or pens that prevent them from moving around or laying down and any sales of products from such animals. These including breeding pigs, calves raised for veal and egg laying hens. This question is not expected to adversely affect Massachusetts farms but will have an impact on imported products.

Yes on Question 4 would legalize the use and sale of marijuana and products made from the illegal plant for those age 21 and older. Massachusetts is one of five states voting on this issue Tuesday; it approved medical marijuana several years ago.

The biggest showdown is at the head to the ballot, with Democrat Hillary Clinton facing off against Republican Donald Trump. The deep blue Bay State is expected to fall into the Democratic column since Clinton has nearly a 30-point lead over her rival. Also on the ballot are Jill Stein of Lexington, a Harvard-educated doctor running on the Green Party ticket, and former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate whose running mate is former Gov. William Weld.

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