ELECTION GUIDE: 2016 federal, state elections

SHELBY COUNTY, TN (WMC) - Election day is upon us: Tuesday, November 8. Early voting is over and the campaigns are on their final pushes.

If you are interested in voting on election day, here are some things you need to know:

WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING:

Federal or Tennessee government issued photo ID is required in order for you to vote in person. College student IDs are unacceptable. City or county employee IDs (including library cards) are unacceptable.

Driver's license, U.S. passports, government employee ID cards, or military IDs are acceptable.

TIME: Polls are open from 7 a.m.- 7 p.m. in Mississippi and Tennessee. They are open from 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. All polling places will allow you to vote (no matter how long the line is) as long as you are in line before the poll is scheduled to close.

WHERE DO I GO TO VOTE:

If you are unsure where your polling location is in Shelby County, click here to find your location.

Everyone living outside Shelby County should google their county's election commission. Most of those website have all the polling locations listed.

Note: If you are not registered to vote, time has run out for you to be able to cast your ballot in November. However, you can still go ahead and register to vote for future elections. If you are unsure if you are registered to vote in Shelby County, you can check your status by clicking here.

The League of Women Voters created a voting guide for the 2016 election. It does not support any candidate or platform, but it does lay out the various items up for vote, and it lays out the positions of local candidates on local issues. You can find the LWV guide here.

The race for the White House will be top of the list for most voters as they head to the polls. But, they could be surprised that there are more than just two names as options for voters to choose for president. In fact, there are five more names on the ballot for President of the United States, however, only Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton hold nominations from the two major parties in the country. They are also the only two candidates who have received enough percentage in national polls to participate in a nationally televised presidential debates.

In addition to Trump and Clinton, voters will see the following names on the ballot for president:

"Rocky" Roque De La Fuente with Michael Steinberg as vice president. De La Fuente is a Mexican-American businessman who is the nominee for the Reform Party.
Gary Johnson, with William F. Weld as vice president. Johnson is an American businessman, author, and nominee for the Libertarian Party
Alyson Kennedy, with Osborne Hart as vice president. Kennedy is a member of the Socialist Party and was their vice president nominee in 2008.
Mike Smith, with Daniel White as vice president. Smith is a small business owner and is an independent candidate for president.
Jill Stein, with Ajamu Baraka as vice president. Stein is a physician and the Green Party's nominee.

Outside the presidential election, there are plenty of contested races for Congress on the ballot. One of the more eyed races will be the U.S. House of Representatives District 8 race.

David Kustoff secured the Republican nomination during the primary election for the seat, that was vacated by Congressman Stephen Fincher. Kustoff will be up against Democratic nominee Rickey Hobson and independents Shelia L. Godwin, James Hart, Adrian M. Montague, Mark J. Rawles, and Karen Talley-Lane.

In the race for U.S. House of Representatives District 9, Congressman Steve Cohen is up for re-election. Cohen faces Republican nominee Wayne Alberson and independent Paul Cook.

SAMPLE BALLOT

To view a sample ballot for Shelby County, click here.

To view a sample ballot for Bartlett, click here.

In state elections, there will be six contested races for House of Representatives on the ballot for Shelby County residents.

Rep. Raumesh Akbari will be facing off against Republican nominee Samuel A. Arthur Watkins to try and maintain her seat in the House for District 91.
Rep. Mark White is running for re-election to the TN House District 83 against Democratic nominee Lawrence a. Pivnick.
Rep. Barbara Cooper is seeking to maintain her seat for TN House District 86 as she is runs against Republican nominee George. T. Edwards III.
Rep. Larry Miller is aiming for another term in the House of Representatives for District 88. He is challenged by independent candidate Orrden W. Williams.
Rep. G.A. Hardaway is going for another term in office for TN House District 93. He is challenged by independent William King.
Rep. Stephen McManus is seeking re-election to TN House District 96 and is challenged by Democratic nominee Dwayne Thompson.

Tennesseans can dedicate their vote in honor of those who are serving or have served our country in the military. It's called the Honor Vote Program and it provides Tennesseans with the opportunity to specify the servicemember they are dedicating their vote to this election season.

"The men and woman of the U.S. military ensure our freedom and democracy, allowing us to cast a ballot each Election Day. It's important we honor those who protect that right," Secretary of State Tre Hargett said.

It's a free program and only requires a couple clicks on the internet.

To dedicate your vote in honor of a member of the armed services, click here.

The dedication will be posted on the official Honor Vote List as well as the Honor Vote Twitter account.

You don't have to wait until you have voted to dedicate your vote. You can go ahead and fill out the form for the dedication and then vote during Early Voting or on Election Day. Once you complete the form, the State of Tennessee will mail you a packet of information on the program as well as button you can wear when you go vote that lets people know you are voting in honor of someone.

Unincorporated Shelby County residents will take to the polls to vote on an ordinance for wine to be allowed in retail food stores.

Lakeland residents will also be voting on Ordinance 15-226 to provide term limits for those elected to the Lakeland Board of Commissioners or Mayor.

If it is your first time voting, or if you are still a little unsure or nervous about operating the voting machine, you always have the ability to ask one of the polling workers for assistance. However, you can review a video of operating the voting machine by clicking here so you can go into the polling location more prepared and confident.

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