HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Residents of Huntsville, Madison and other cities across North Alabama head to the polls Tuesday.

Highlighting the ballot in Huntsville is a three-way race between incumbent Mayor Tommy Battle, former Mayor Loretta Spencer and frequent mayoral candidate Jackie Reed. Battle is seeking a second term, while Spencer hopes to reclaim the job she held from 1996 to 2008.

When the same three candidates last appeared on a ballot together in 2008, Reed siphoned away just enough votes to prevent then-incumbent Spencer from winning without a runoff. Battle, a former Huntsville City Council member, seized the momentum during the six-week runoff campaign and won easily.

Battle appears to have the edge again, having outraised Spencer $371,598 to $124,258 and scooped up every major endorsement.

The ballot in Huntsville also features City Council and Board of Education races in District 1, a school board contest in District 5 and the renewal of an existing 6 1/2-mill education property tax on the books since 1955.

In District 1, which includes northwest Huntsville and parts of downtown, City Councilman Richard Showers is seeking a seventh consecutive term against Gene Perry, an executive engineer with MJLM Engineering & Technical Services.

On the school board side, District 1 incumbent Laurie McCaulley hopes to win a second term against substitute teacher Reggie Hill, Army engineer Pat King and retired teacher Gwen Ragland.

Meanwhile, developer and former police officer Mike Culbreath and software engineer Carlos Mathews are vying for the open District 5 school board seat representing most of the city west of Jordan Lane.

The incumbent in that race, Alta Morrison, decided not to seek re-election.

District 5 City Councilman Will Culver did not draw any opposition and has already been declared the winner. This will be his second term.

Madison's next mayor will be either airline management specialist Don Palmer or retired Army lieutenant colonel Troy Trulock. After weeks of knocking on doors, stump speeches and debate appearances, voters will decide Tuesday who they want to succeed outgoing Mayor Paul Finley.

Finley decided not to run again, and several Madison City Council members are also stepping down.

Steve Haraway, currently the Madison council member from District 2, won the Republican nomination for an open seat on the Madison County Commission earlier this year. With no Democratic opposition, he is virtually assured of winning in November.

Steve Smith and Devinti Williams are competing to replace Haraway on the council.

District 3 Madison City Councilman Jerry Jennings is not seeking re-election, leaving voters a choice between D.J. Klein and Malcolm Johnson.

In District 4, Clifton Miller and Mike Potter are competing for the seat being vacated by Tim Cowles.

The remaining Madison council incumbents -- Tim Holcomb in District 1, Tommy Overcash in District 5, Larry Vannoy in District 6 and Ronica Ondocsin in District 7 -- are seeking re-election.

Holcomb faces Heather Smith, Overcash is unopposed, Vannoy is running against Gerald Clark, and Ondocsin is being challenged by Sheila McFerran.

Just 28 percent of registered voters cast ballots in the 2008 Huntsville mayor's race, but the turnout was better for the Battle-Spencer runoff election.

Not sure where to vote?

To check your voting location for Tuesday's election, call the Madison County Board of Registrars office at 532-3510 or visit myinfo.alabamavotes.gov. The website includes polling place information for voters in the Limestone County portions of Huntsville and Madison. Those residents can also call the Limestone County Board of Registrars at 233-6405.

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

Follow me on Twitter: @swdoyle