South Fulton voters head to the polls Tuesday with a key race expected to result in a runoff.

The race for Fulton County Commission District 7 is the most crowded and most watched of the local races.

After Michael Hightower resigned in the face of a bribery indictment, 13 candidates jumped into the race. With so many candidates in the race, election watchers are expecting a runoff, which would occur Nov. 28.

At the top of the ballot, voters will pick the next president and election officials are expecting a heavy turnout for the battle between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

The contested state Senate seat affecting South Fulton voters is District 34, where Democratic incumbent Greg Hecht faces Republican challenger Bryan Hilton.

Voters also will choose 13 Superior Court judges and six State Court Judges. Judges in these races are facing no opposition.

The only other contested race is for Fulton County Board of Education District 7, where incumbent Julia Bernath faces challenger John Gordon.

In addition to local, state and national candidates, the ballot includes several constitutional amendments and referendum questions, and with heavy voter turnout expected Tuesday, election officials are encouraging voters to prepare ahead of time to reduce the time it takes to vote.

Voters are urged to mark sample ballots and take them into the voting booth to speed the process. Fulton County's sample ballot is printed on page 6A in today's Citizen. Explanations of the constitutional amendments and referendum questions, courtesy of the secretary of state's office, are on page 5A.

Information also is available at the secretary of state'sweb page, www.sos.state.ga.us/.

Information on constitutional amendments and referendum questions also is available at the secretary of state's information hot line, 888-265-1115.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.