Voters head to the polls Tuesday to choose leaders in municipal races including judges, the county executive and members of city and county council.  But the race getting the most attention is the three-way democratic primary for mayor of Erie.

There is a republican candidate on the ballot, Matthew Thomas.  But the heavily democratic city hasn't elected a republican mayor since Charles Williamson who held the office from 1962 - 1965.  So many believe the next mayor will be decided in the democratic primary.

Campaign signs are scattered across Erie, showing how competitive the race is.  The debates and candidate forums are all over.  Now it's up to democratic voters to decide between three candidates, incumbent Mayor Joe Schember, and challengers Daria Devlin and Sheila Ellyn Woeger.

Mayor Schember is hoping voters will return him for a third four year term. "I really hope if I get re-elected, I can go the next four years without raising the fees people have to pay," he said adding, "There'll be some increases in other areas, but not in the taxes they pay."

Daria Devlin has run her campaign on the idea that Erie needs a change in the mayor's office, and she believes she has the momentum.  "We've knocked on almost 5,000 doors during this campaign, so to know we've reaches this point feels great.  We feel a lot of energy heading into tomorrow," Devlin said.

Sheila Ellyn Woeger has run a quieter campaign, and said she's leaving the outcome in God's hands.  "I believe the decision's already made.  People know who they're going to vote for.  It's all in God's hands, I've done what I can do now it's up to Him," Woeger said.

While the candidates themselves have kept their campaigns clean, supporters in their orbits haven't always done the same.  Even Mayor Schember's wife took a message to Facebook to defend him from criticism over the city's financial outlook.

"We've criticized the mayor's record because we had to explain our concerns,“ Devlin said.  "I understand his wife feeling upset, but it's really about policy, not personal attacks."

When asked about his wife's post, Mayor Schember said, "My wife was upset about things being said that weren't true, so she wrote that.  I thank her for it, but it's not something I would have done."

As they have knocked on doors, both Schember ahd Devlin have heard good feedback from prospective voters, or those who cast early ballots. But neither campaign has conducted any internal polling, so the outcome of Tuesday's primary is anyone's guess.

“I feel good about new voters showing up tomorrow, and that's going to be key for us," Devlin said.

"The polls close at 8pm Tuesday, and then we'll all come together to see the results," Schember said.

The democratic candidate who prevails in the primary will face Matthew Thomas, a lawyer running unopposed on the republican primary ballot, in the general election this fall.

Erie News Now will bring you election results on television and online after the polls close on Tuesday.