Maine voters will head to polling places across the state Tuesday to approve or reject local school budgets.

Voters in many communities also will elect municipal and school officials or decide the fate of capitol projects that could increase their taxes.

Turnouts are expected to be relatively small in most places for the off-year election.

But some communities with controversial ballot questions or budget proposals could see a steadier flow of voters.

Here’s what you need to know before you head to the polls on Tuesday.

• What will be on my local ballot?
• How do I find my polling place?
• What time do polls open and close?
• What if I’m waiting in line when polls close?
• Can I still register to vote?
• Can I check to see if my absentee ballot has been accepted?
• What if I haven’t returned my absentee ballot yet?
• Can campaigns try to influence my vote at the polls?
• Can I wear campaign merchandise to the polls?
• Can I take photos and videos at a polling location?
• What if I experience or witness concerning behavior at the polls?
• When will we know the results?

What will be on my local ballot?

Pressherald.com has a list of races and ballot questions for towns and cities across southern Maine, with links to background reporting and previews in many cases.

Each community has a sample ballot posted on its municipal website. Look for the town clerk’s page on the website or an elections tab.

How do I find my polling place? 

Every town and city has designated polling locations on Election Day. Voters can find their polling place and electoral district by calling their city or town hall, or by searching online through the Maine Voter Information Lookup Service.

The same link will allow you to see what races and candidates will be on your ballot when you go to the polls.

What time do polls open and close?

Many polling locations open at 7 a.m., but opening time varies from town to town, especially in smaller communities, so check with your local town office. Polling locations must open by 8 a.m., except in communities with fewer than 500 residents, which can open as late as 10 a.m. State law requires polls to close at 8 p.m., except in communities with fewer than 100 people, which can close after all registered voters have cast their ballots.

What if I’m waiting in line when polls close?

If you are standing in line to vote when your polling location is scheduled to close, you are still entitled to vote, so stay in line until you cast your ballot. Election officials will not let additional people into the voting line after polls close, but they will allow people who were in line before official closing time to cast their ballots.

Can I still register to vote?

Yes, you can still register to vote in person at your town office, city hall or polling location, although the deadlines to register online or by mail have passed.

Maine has same-day voter registration, so you can register at your polling place right before you cast a ballot.

In order to vote, you must be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and registered to vote in the community where you reside in Maine.

If you’re registering to vote for the first time in Maine, you will need to show proof of identity, such as a driver’s license or passport, and residency. Residency can be documented a number of ways, including with personal documents such as a utility bill, bank statement or paycheck, or with a driver’s license, motor vehicle registration, or hunting or fishing license.

Details are available on the website of the Maine Department of the Secretary of State.

Can I check to see if my absentee ballot has been accepted? 

Yes. Voters can track the status of their absentee ballot request and their ballot online via a service provided by the secretary of state. Upon receipt of an absentee ballot, a municipal clerk will examine the signature of the voter on the envelope and may compare it to the signature on their voter registration file.

The outcome of the clerk’s inspection of the envelope is noted in the tracker, and a voter can see if their ballot has been accepted or rejected. Clerks will try to contact voters if required information is missing or their signatures don’t match. If a voter’s ballot is rejected, they would be able to cast a different ballot by 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Voters whose ballots have not been returned and accepted by their municipal clerk by Election Day have the option to go to the polls and request that their absentee ballot be canceled and that they be reissued a new ballot.

What if I haven’t returned my absentee ballot yet?

Absentee ballots must be received by a municipality by 8 p.m. Tuesday to be counted.

It is too late to rely on the U.S. mail to deliver ballots in time.

At this point, absentee ballots should be hand-delivered to your town office or placed in a secure ballot drop box, if your community offers that option. You must still place your ballot in the absentee ballot envelope and sign and seal it.

If you requested an absentee ballot and lost it, you should vote in person on Election Day.

Can campaigns try to influence my vote at the polls?

No. Maine law prohibits campaigns from advertising or trying to influence voters on public property within a 250-foot radius of the polling location entrance. That includes the placement of campaign signs; the display or distribution of palm cards, stickers, buttons or badges; and the use of sound equipment or any other advertising medium.

These restrictions do not apply to advertising material on vehicles traveling to or from the voting place for the sole purposes of voting.

Can I wear campaign merchandise to the polls?

A voter may wear a campaign button that is no bigger than 3 inches around while in the process of casting a ballot.

Election workers, poll watchers, signature gatherers and others in attendance at the polls for purposes other than voting may not wear apparel that names candidates or explicitly or implicitly expresses support of or opposition to a candidate or issue on the ballot that year.

Voters are also subject to these restrictions. An election administrator may ask a voter to remove a hat or cover up a T-shirt.

Anyone, including a voter, who is asked to remove apparel or other advertising or who is asked to exit a voting place by a warden must do so, as the warden is the presiding officer at the voting place.

Can I take photos and videos at a polling location?

These activities are allowed outside of the guardrail where voters are marking and casting their ballots, as long as the person is not recording within 15 feet of a voter. Individuals may take a selfie that includes their own marked ballot, but they cannot photograph somebody else’s marked ballot.

What if I experience or witness concerning behavior at the polls?

Voters who experience or witness problems or concerning behavior at polling a location are encouraged to report those incidents to the secretary of state by calling 207-626-8400. That phone line will be staffed until after polls close on Election Day.

When will we know the results?

Reporters at the Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel, Portland Press Herald and Sun Journal will gather results of local elections Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

Check the newspapers’ websites regularly for the latest results.