Voters heading to the polls today will pick their favorite candidates in Gwinnett County commission, school board and legislative races.

And while party leaders have their ear, voters also will be asked to weigh in on some nagging issues, too — namely mass transit and illegal immigration. In one ballot question sure to be closely watched around the region, voters will weigh in on a non-binding referendum on whether they want MARTA to come to the county.

Voter turnout is not expected to be as large as in a general election. But polling places are gearing up for a respectable showing.

Besides the heated Gwinnett County Commission chairman race, residents in two of the county's four commission districts will choose between Republican candidates.

In the three-way race for Lorraine Green's District 1 seat, the contenders are former Suwanee City Council member Carol Hassell, 63; former Duluth Mayor Shirley Lasseter, 60; and Diamond Warehouse owner Bruce LeVell, 44, all Republicans.

Hassell, vice president of administration for the Georgia Wildlife Federation, helped to organize the Gwinnett Open Land Trust and is concerned about illegal immigrants and declining neighborhoods. She favors tougher code enforcement to preserve communities and limiting the number of people crowding into rental properties.

Lasseter, director of public safety education for the Georgia Department of Insurance and Fire Safety, says she wants to put her 14 years of experience as a mayor to work for Gwinnett County and is also concerned about illegal immigration and revitalization.

LeVell, who was appointed to both the MARTA and Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District (CID) boards, is worried about the local economy. His campaign focuses on mass transit alternatives and improving aging communities.

In the District 3 race, Doug Stacks, 46, director of planning and economic development for the city of Lilburn, is challenging incumbent Mike Beaudreau.

Stacks, a Republican, points to the development slowdown in Gwinnett as a sign of a struggling economy that needs help. Without well-planned growth, Stacks said, the tax burden will be heavily borne by residents.

Beaudreau, 33, a national accounts manager for Ricoh Corp., has emphasized his experience and record of preserving green space to win him favor with voters.

In the school board race, two career educators are competing to represent District 5. The candidates, Democrats Ravindra Kumar, a college professor, and Ralph J. Villani, a retired teacher turned lawyer, have never been elected to public office but say they have the experience that counts in a school board election --- experience in the classroom.

The winner of the primary will face incumbent Louise Radloff in the November general election. Radloff is in her 36th year on the Gwinnett County Board of Education and has a middle school named after her.

Voters considering commission and school board races today also will be captive audiences for opinion polls.

Republican and Democratic party leaders will ask their voters questions about a wide range of issues — from illegal immigration, to government representation to local development.

The only binding question on Gwinnett's primary ballot is about the use of tax allocation districts, or TADs, in unincorporated Gwinnett County. An identical measure failed in 2006, but in 2007, a better organized campaign resulted in successful votes in nine Gwinnett cities.

The question asks if an act that authorizes Gwinnett to exercise redevelopment powers to improve economic and social conditions in "depressed areas" should be approved. Approving the act would allow the county to leverage future property tax revenue to spur private development now.

TAD supporters see them as considered critical tools for redevelopment of declining areas. Critics complain that they divert school taxes for redevelopment purposes, funnel public money to private enterprises and can be risky for taxpayers if the development project does not materialize or succeed.

Staff writers Eileen Drennen and Michael Pearson contributed to this report.