By S.P. Sullivan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

TRENTON — Happy Election Day, New Jersey!

Voters in the Garden State will hit the polls today to pick a new governor, decide some key state and local races and weigh in on how the state spends money on libraries and uses funds from environmental lawsuits.

Turnout is expected to be low, but the stakes remain high.

Here's what could change after you walk into the voting booth.

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WHEN CAN I VOTE?

Polls open at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. And before you ask, we've already looked into it: While everybody loves the "I Voted" stickers, you aren't guaranteed them under the state's constitution. It's up to your local or county officials to hand 'em out.

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Democratic nominee Phil Murphy (left) and Republican nominee Kim Guadagno (right).

Photo by Julio Cortez | The Associated Press

THE GOVERNOR'S RACE

So long, Chris Christie. New Jersey's governorship has a two-term limit, which means Christie is out the door come January. New Jersey's constitution also gives the governor a lot more sway than other states, meaning whoever comes next will be one of the most powerful state officials in the country.

Enter Democrat Phil Murphy and Republican Kim Guadagno, the top contenders to replace Christie. They're a study in contrasts on everything from taxes and immigration to the legalization of marijuana.

Murphy is a former U.S. ambassador to Germany and banking exec who has never held elected office. He's outspent every other candidate, rallying Democratic opposition to Christie and President Donald Trump and trying to shake off the specter of Jon Corzine, another Jersey governor with similar baggage.

Guadagno, meanwhile, is a former county sheriff saddled with the legacy of being the lieutenant governor under Christie, whose popularity is in the dumps. In recent weeks she's focused much of her campaign on opposition to Murphy's pledge to make New Jersey a "sanctuary state" for undocumented immigrants.

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Town Hall with Phil Murphy Ambassador Phil Murphy, Democratic candidate for N.J. governor, took questions from NJ.com’s reporter Matt Arco, columnist Tom Moran and a live audience. What do you most want to see under N.J.‘s next governor? Be part of the live conversation in the comments and on Twitter with #njgovernor. This town hall is co-hosted by NJ.com and the Eagleton Center on the American Governor at Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University. Posted by NJ.com on Wednesday, September 27, 2017



Watch NJ.com's town hall with Phil Murphy. (A similar town hall with Kim Guadagno was cancelled by the candidate.)

With a double-digit lead in the polls, Murphy is favored to win, which would put an end to eight years of Republican rule in a blue state at a time when Democrats are looking to capitalize on progressive opposition to Trump's administration.

As Guadagno and her supporters have been pointing out, however, the predictions of pollsters and pundits were famously wrong in November, when Trump pulled off his surprise win.

Murphy and Guadagno also aren't the only game in town. Third-party or independent candidates include Gina Genovese, Seth Kaper-Dale, Matthew Riccardi, Peter Rohrman, and Vincent Ross. NJ Advance Media sat down with them to talk about the issues.

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KEY LEGISLATIVE RACES

State lawmakers don't have the same profile as New Jersey's governor, but their votes create and repeal laws, affect what you pay in taxes and alter how much state money your local schools get.

One of the most closely watched this year is the challenge to state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, an incumbent Democrat under attack by the New Jersey Education Association, New Jersey's largest teachers union. The NJEA typically endorses Democrats but has soured on Sweeney and has been pumping money into ads seeking his ouster.

Sweeney is still favored to beat Republican challenger Fran Grenier, but if he loses it would send shockwaves through Trenton. Experts say it could end up being the most expensive legislative race in New Jersey history.

Then there's the close race between incumbent Democrat Linda Greenstein and Republican Ileana Schirmer in the competitive 14th District, and multiple contests over seats vacated by longtime lawmakers who are retiring or stepping down.

Check out our guide to key legislative races across the state.

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State Senate President Stephen Sweeney.

Photo by Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

BALLOT QUESTION 1

There are two ballot questions in front of New Jersey voters this year.

The first is a bit technical, but it concerns how the state kicks in money to build new libraries in your community. A "yes" vote allows the state to issue $125 million in state general obligation bonds to provide grants for library construction.

Here's the language on the ballot:

The act would create a matching program where the state goes 50/50 with local governments looking to to build or renovate libraries. Supporters say it'll help local libraries stay relevant in the 21st century. Critics ask the scariest question in all of Trentondom: How, exactly, are we paying for this?

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BALLOT QUESTION 2

Want to amend New Jersey's constitution? You can do it!

You might remember the controversy surrounding the Christie administration's settlement with Exxon Mobil in a lawsuit over pollution at the oil giant's New Jersey refineries. After most of that money got diverted to the state's general fund, lawmakers approved a ballot question concerning how the state uses money it gets by suing polluters.

Question 2 asks:

Basically, you'll decide whether the government can use money from environmental settlements to plug holes in the budget or pay for other programs, or if it has to use that money specifically to help the environment.

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LOCAL RACES

Local politics are as important as they are colorful in New Jersey, the only state in the union that has a thing called a freeholder.

There's a township council race in Mahwah in Bergen County, where a bitter feud has broken out between council members and the mayor after the state attorney general accused local officials of anti-semitism and violating discrimination laws.

Things are similarly interesting in Atlantic City, where local resistance to a state takeover has created some strange bedfellows.

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Tuesday may see the lowest-ever voter turnout for a New Jersey gubernatorial election. Will you vote Tuesday? https://trib.al/sbAfIOJ Posted by NJ.com Politics on Monday, November 6, 2017

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Then there's the Middlesex County town of Edison, where incumbent Democrat is going head-to-head with the recently ousted leader of the local Democratic party who became a Republican just to challenge him.

The Edison race also recently took an ugly turn, when racist fliers targeting Asian school board candidates arrived in residents' mailboxes. Just days later, more bigoted literature reared its head in Hoboken, this time attacking a Sikh mayoral candidate.

It's not clear in either case who sent the mailers, which were widely condemned by both the candidates they targeted and their opponents.

Get a county-by-county breakdown of local races over at nj.com/elections.

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WHEN DO I FIND OUT WHO WON?

Polls close at 8 p.m., and NJ.com will have live updates as soon as they start pouring in from local and state election officials. Stay tuned to NJ.com/politics, follow @njdotcom on Twitter and join us on Facebook as we post the latest from the field.

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MORE COVERAGE:

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S.P. Sullivan may be reached at ssullivan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter. Find NJ.com on Facebook.