Polls opened at 6 a.m. and remain open until 7 p.m. in Floyd County and the rest of Virginia Tuesday for the midterm election that some call one of the most important contests in recent memory.

At stake in Virginia are the U.S. Senate seat currently held by former governor Tim Kaine, the Democrat challenged by Cory Stewart, the firey Republican who brags he was “Trump before Trump was Trump.”  Libertarian Matt Walters is also on the Senate ballot.

Floyd voters must decide between current 9th District Congressman Morgan Griffith, the Republican who ousted longtime Democrat Rick Boucher in 2010 and spouts much of the same themes as president Donald Trump.

Two ballot initiatives also appear:  A property tax exemption for flood abatement and removal of restrictions on residence for a surviving spouse of disabled veterans.

Polls show Griffith leading Flaccavento in the 9th District, which includes 19 full counties that fun from Floyd in the east all the way to the tip of Southwestern Virginia and parts of three other counties and Kaine with a big lead over Stewart, but the 2016 Presidential race proved nationwide that polls can be wrong.

Thunderstorms predicted to hit the Floyd County area from 9 a.m. until noon Tuesday could impact voter turnout but the remainder of the day is expected to be cloudy in the afternoon and clear into the evening.

The candidates have dominated the airwaves with lots of campaign hyperbole and attacks on each other.  The decision now rests with voters.