So who’s going to win and who’s going to lose in today’s elections? Will Congressman Heath Shuler lose his seat to Republican Jeff Miller? How will the three incumbent members of the NC House — Susan Fisher, Patsy Keever, and Jane Whilden — do against their respective Republican challengers John Carroll, Mark Crawford, and Tim Moffitt? Will RL Clark defeat Martin Nesbitt? Will Chris Dixon defeat Tom Apodaca? And who will be our next Sheriff, District Attorney and Clerk of Court? And what about those judges?

The big day is finally here…you have just over 12 hours left to cast your vote for the people who will work for you in Washington, Raleigh, and right here at home in the mountains. Today’s election is a huge deal; it may not have the glamour or the excitement of 2008 but it’s just as important for the future direction of our country. Today is the day that no matter who you are — rich or poor, black or white, gay or straight — your opinion matters just as much as everyone else’s. After the jump we have voting locations and some other useful links.

In the local House and Senate Races, Democrats have raised more money than Republicans, challengers Tim Moffitt and Mark Crawford have made large loans to their own campaigns, Patsy Keever and Susan Fisher’s campaigns have been funded for the most part on the strength of individual contributions, John Carroll has raised the least of all the House candidates, and incumbent Senator Martin Nesbitt has outpaced his challenger, RL Clark, in terms of fundraising by almost 45:1. We have the numbers after the jump.

There are only two and a half days left for early voting…the half comes in because everything closes up at 1:00pm on Saturday, October 30. For a complete list of early voting locations, click here. For our handy-dandy election guide, interviews with all the candidates and their answers (or lack thereof) to our candidate questionnaires, click here. Vote early and avoid the lines! Photo by Jonathan Welch

View 2010 Early Voting Locations in a larger map
With just under a week left to vote early, here’s an interactive Google Map of all the Early Voting locations in Buncombe County. You have no excuse, people. Just go vote. Disclaimer: Xpress makes no claim on the authorship of this map and in no way should it be taken as an endorsement of any candidate or party. For information on all the candidates, visit our special online 2010 Voter Guide.

Rep. Jane Whilden and her Republican challenger, Tim Moffitt. Photo by Michael Muller In 2008, Democrat Jane Whilden edged Republican Tim Moffitt by a mere 1,306 votes: the closest local race in what was otherwise a Democratic landslide. This year, they’re once again contending to represent the state House’s 116th District in southwestern Buncombe County. […]

Eric Cantor, Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives (right), joined 11th District Republican Congressional District candidate Jeff Miller (left) at a ‘Get Out The Vote’ rally earlier this afternoon. Nearly 150 people — almost all of them senior citizens — showed up for the event, held in downtown Hendersonville. Video after the jump. Photo by Michael Muller

Republican Whip Eric Cantor (VA-7) will join 11th District Candidate Jeff Miller for a get-out-the-vote rally in downtown Hendersonville today from 2:00 – 2:45 pm.

Be the first kid on your block to cast a ballot in the 2010 election! Early voting begins today at the Buncombe County Training Center at 199 College Street in Asheville. They’re open from 8am to 6pm today and tomorrow (Thursday and Friday) and they’re closed on Saturday. In addition to the downtown location, other remote locations throughout the county will be open starting October 18 through October 30.