We know you know.

But just in case you didn't: Today is Election Day, so please, take time out of your busy day and make sure to cast your  vote.

Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for those who haven't opted to mail in their ballots early.

The biggest issue on the ticket? There's no question: Selecting the leader of the free world. Voters will choose between President Barack Obama and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. As of Monday, the race was in a deadlock.

In California, there are some especially hot races and issues to decide on, too.

Among them are whether to re-elect U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein and U.S. Rep. Pete Stark (D-Fremont), the longest-serving member of California's delegation who is running against another Democrat - Eric Swalwell - in a race that has gotten quite ugly.

Then, Californians have 11 propositions to decide on, from Prop. 30, which is Gov. Jerry Brown's hope to raise taxes on those who earn more than $250,000 a year to Prop. 34, which is a push to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. (To see all the propositions, you can visit the Secretary of State's website.)

And of course, each city and county has its own issues to decide on as well. Richmond voters will choose whether to tax sugary soda drinks in an effort to cut down on obesity. San Francisco voters must decide on a $79 parcel tax, which would help fund City College. In Alameda County, voters must choose who they want to replace Nadia Lockyer as Alameda County supervisor, after she stepped down over her drug addiction became a highly public drama.

Individual measures can be found on each registrar's website, including in: Santa Clara County, Alameda County, San Mateo County, and Contra Costa County. For voting information in California, all the county-by-county information is listed at nonprofitvote.org.

Finally, with every election, even in the United States, there are bound to be problems. Just last week, NBC Bay Area reported on a Vallejo couple who discovered mail-in ballots tossed in the gutter near their home.

If you have a problem on Election Day, our investigative unit will be there to listen. Please call 888-996-8477 or 408-432-4750 with your tips. Or, you can email theunit@nbcuni.com.

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED:

To watch and see it all, NBC Bay Area will be bringing you news as it unfolds:

• We'll have a special 3 p.m newscast anchored by Raj Matthai and Jessica Aguirre, followed by NBC News with Brian Williams.
• We'll also have our regular 11 p.m. newscast.
• For all coverage related to Tuesday's election, click on NBC Bay Area's Decision 2012 page.
• We'll be livestreaming results and analysis online right here.
• And we'll be sending out Election Day email alerts, so if you want to receive them, click here.

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