(CNN) - Two positions long held by elected officials in Boston and Alabama are up for grabs and the competition is fierce.
Voters in Boston are heading to the polls Tuesday and for the first time in 20 years they won't see Democratic Mayor Thomas Menino's name.
[twitter-follow screen_name='politicalticker']
Menino, Boston's longest serving mayor, announced in March that he would not be seeking re-election, kicking off a busy race to fill his spot. Twelve candidates are running and Tuesday's contest will narrow the field to two.
Voters will also be casting ballots for councillor at-large and district city council with general elections set for November 5.
Farther South, the House race for Alabama's 1st congressional district is also a crowded field. Voters will be choosing between nine Republican candidates in the primary election.
The seat opened after GOP Rep. Jo Bonner resigned in August and accepted a position as Vice Chancellor for Government Relations and Economic Development with the University of Alabama system.
In such a crowded field it's possible that no candidate will receive more than 50 percent of the vote – resulting in a special runoff election on November 5th and a general election in December.
Republicans have held the seat since 1964. Two Democrats are also battling for their party's nomination, and one independent is also in the race.