For a so-called off-year election, voters can affect a significant change in the face of local government in Tuesday’s General Election.

There are contested campaigns being waged for the state legislature and county offices, as well as some board positions.

Polls open at 6 a.m. on Tuesday and close at 7 p.m. Registered voters have been notified by mail advising them of their respective polling places.

One race that appears on the most ballots in Franklin, Southampton and Isle of Wight counties is the race for state senate of the 13th District.

The 13th District of the Virginia State Senate includes portions of Isle of Wight County, Southampton County, Franklin, Prince George and Surry counties, and the cities of Chesapeake, Suffolk, Portsmouth and Hopewell.

Incumbent Fred Quayle, a Republican, is being challenged by Portsmouth City Council member Steve Heretick, a Democrat.

In Southampton, voters in the Capron, Boykins-Branchville-Meherrin, Drewryville, Newsoms and portions of the Forks of the River districts reside in the 18th District and will have L. Louise Lucas on the ballot, who is running unopposed.

Franklin and Southampton County voters will elect a Clerk of the Circuit to replace longtime clerk Wayne Cosby, who served in that office for 26 years. Running for the seat are Richard L. “Rick” Francis and Olivia Claud.

The functions of clerk of the court includes providing more than 800 broad, vital and primarily legal-based services to the public and very specifically serves as the chief administrative officer to the Circuit Court system. These responsibilities range from:

n management of court operations that affect safety, legal options, and family status like major criminal trials and sentencing, mediation services, jury summonses, and civil trials for divorce, child custody, and appointment of guardians;

n delivery of direct services impacting everyday life like issuance of marriage licenses, passports, military discharges, notary public commissions, and concealed weapons permits;

n administration of property transactions such as real estate deeds and titles when you buy or sell or home and wills and estates when someone dies;

N recording and storage of legal documents like marriage and divorce records, U.C.C. financing statements, all documents pertaining to court proceedings and judgments, election ballots after results are certified, and a full set of law library services.

The clerk of court also collects and deposits all fees, taxes and penalties related to delivery and administration of these varied services. The more than 800 legal responsibilities managed by the clerk of court are defined in the Code of Virginia and can be reviewed in a 110 page document provided by the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginia at http://www.courts.state.va.us/cib/cib.htm

The commissioner of revenue race is also being contested. Amy Burgess is being challenged by Gregory L. Battle.

The functions of commissoner include:

Being responsible for assessing and processing vehicle and business personal property tax; auditing and processing all locally filed state income tax returns; interpreting real property deeds and transferring ownership to new owner(s); maintaining real

property records; administering the real estate tax relief program; processing and collecting meal taxes; and collecting and issuing city business licenses.

In addition, voters in the Newsoms and Sebrell districts will elect members to the county’s board of supervisors.

In Newsoms, incumbent Walter D. “Walt” Brown III is being challenged by Glenn H. Updike and Burton M. Blythe.

In Sebrell, incumbent Moses Wyche is being challenged by Kay N. Pope.

Voters in Franklin’s 1st, 2nd and 6th precincts can decide between Quayle and Heretick for state senator. Also on the ballot in the 1st precinct is William K. Barlow who is running for the 64th district in the state house of delegates.

Voters in Franklin’s 3rd, 4th and 5th precincts reside in the 18th District where L. Louise Lucas is running unopposed for the state senate. Voters in precincts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are in the 75th district, where Roslyn C. Tyler is running unopposed for that house of delegates seat.

In Isle of Wight, voters will elect a new clerkof court to replace the retiring William E. Laine Jr. R. Curtis Hardison, Sharon Nelms Jones and Thomas L. Mays are running for that seat.

Voters there also have a contested race for county sheriff. Where incumbent C.W. “Charlie” Phelps is being challenged by Kurt E. Beach. Jim J. Therrien withdrew from the race last week but will still appear on the ballot.

Voters in the Smithfield District will elect a member to the board of supervisors. Incumbent Tom R. Ivy faces Alan E. “Al” Casteen. Also running in that district are candidates for the school board. Anthony J. “Tony” Filliater Jr, David W. Goodrich and Denise N. Tynes are vying for that seat.

There are school board elections in two other districts. Windsor District voters will decide between incumbent J. Kevin Duck and T. Hayes Griffiin Jr. In Newport District, Incumbent George A. Bradby faces a challenge from D. Marie Bailey and Jerianne C. Gardner.

Voters in most of Isle of Wight will decide between Quayle and Heretick for state senator in the 15th District and William K. Barlow, a unopposed candidate for the house of delegates in the 64th District. In the Camps Mill District, L. Louise Lucas is running unopposed in the 18th District of the state senate and Roslyn C. Tyler is unopposed for the house of delegates seat in the 75th district.