Here are two numbers that should get your attention.

Seventy-six: That’s the expected percentage turnout, in Missouri, for Tuesday’s election.

Twenty: That’s the percentage decrease in the number of polling places in Kansas City, south of the river, since 2004 (they’ve cut back because so many polling locations were not accessible for those with disabilities).

Some simple math tells you that polling locations will be crowded, and the lines long. They may be slightly shorter in Kansas, where record early voting could ease the crowding amid the predicted 78 percent turnout.

Wherever you decide to vote, casting a ballot will take patience and a little planning.

Today The Star publishes a “voters survival guide”: a handy list of things to do — and not to do — before you get to the polls, and what to expect when you get there.

DO know where you should cast your vote.

Johnson and Wyandotte County residents register and vote through election boards in each Kansas county.

In Missouri, Kansas City residents in Jackson County vote through the Kansas City Board of Election Commissioners. All other Jackson County residents vote through the Jackson County Board of Election Commissioners, headquartered in Independence.

All residents of Clay and Platte Counties register and vote with boards in those counties.

If you aren’t already registered, it’s too late for Tuesday’s election.

You should have already received a card from your election authority confirming your status as a registered voter and telling you where to cast your ballot. You do not need your card to vote.

But you should check your registration status if you have not already done so. TheStar’s Web site, KansasCity.com, provides a link to election boards throughout the area, and several national Web sites allow voters to check their status.

You can also check the Web sites of the secretaries of state in Missouri ( www.govotemissouri.com) and Kansas (https: //myvoteinfo.voteks.org). Most public libraries offer free computer access.

You can go directly to most election board Web sites or, as a last resort, call directly to find out where you vote (Web addresses and phone numbers are in the box on this page).

DO study the ballot before you go to the polls.

Voters in Kansas and Missouri aren’t just voting for candidates: There are several referendum questions on the ballot, on issues as different as gambling, light rail and electing judges.

The ballot questions are long. Read them before you get to the polls and decide how you’re going to vote ahead of time. For the exact ballot language and sample ballots in Missouri, go to www.govotemissouri.com.

Polling places will also post sample ballots. Johnson County plans to hand out cards to people in line with ballot issues listed.

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