WATERVILLE — Voters will decide the outcome of several big local financial requests and competitive races in today’s election.

Topping those decisions is a three-candidate race for Waterville mayor; a request in Oakland to build a new $4.9 million facility for police, fire and town offices; and a $72 million bond request in Madison to build a natural gas pipeline.

Voter turnout isn’t expected to be as high as in presidential election years, but ballot questions with heightened local interest will probably help drive people to the polls, said Waterville City Clerk Arlene Strahan.

Strahan said the city, which has about 10,950 registered voters, received 903 absentee requests and was still waiting on Monday for 100 of those to be turned back in.

“For this election, I believe it’s possible to have a third of the voters vote when you consider absentee ballots and those on Election Day,” Strahan said of Waterville.

People who have already requested absentee ballots — the deadline for that was Thursday — can still turn the completed ballots in up until the polls close at 8 p.m. In addition, people may still register to vote today.

Running for mayor in Waterville are unenrolled candidate Karen Heck, Republican Andrew Roy and incumbent Democrat Dana Sennett. Voters in Ward 2 will also decide a City Council race between incumbent George Myers Jr., a Democrat, and Patrick Roy, a Republican.

In Oakland, voters are being asked to approve a proposed 27,953-square-foot building with a $4.9 million price tag that would house the police, fire and town offices.

In Madison, voters will decide whether to approve a $72 million bond request to finance construction of an 80-mile natural gas pipeline from Richmond to Madison, a project that competes with one proposed by Portland-based Kennebec Valley Gas Co.

Voters in several area towns will also weigh in on races for municipal or county boards. In Winslow, for example, Rodney Cloutier, Jason Fitch and Jerry Quirion are running for an open seat to the Town Council.

In Somerset County, there are two races in two newly formed districts for Somerset County commissioners: Robin Frost and Shane Reitze are running for District 3, while Andrew Davis and Lloyd Trafton are running for District 5.

Statewide, voters will consider referendums concerning keeping same-day voter registration, two involving casinos in Biddeford, Calais and Lewiston, and one regarding state redistricting language.