TAHOE/TRUCKEE, Calif. and#8212; A new regional senator will be elected next Tuesday, due to the death earlier this year of former Sen. Dave Cox, R-Fair Oaks, Calif.

Cox represented the 1st Senate District that includes Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Nevada, Amador, Calaveras, Lassen, Plumas, Modoc, Mono, Sierra and Alpine counties.

Pre-registered voters can cast ballots at the polls or by mail. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Election Day.

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Polling locations can be obtained at http://www.placerelections.com, mynevadacounty.com/elections or http://www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/elections. Vote-by-mail ballots must arrive by Jan. 4, and information on where to send them can be found at http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/Special/sd01.

The candidates include Republican Ted Gaines and Democrat Ken Cooley. Gaines, of Roseville, Calif., is currently California’a 4th District Assemblyman, representing local counties. Cooley is the mayor of Rancho Cordova, Calif.

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Joseph McCray, Sr., of Fair Oaks, Calif., is listed as an official write-in candidate.

According to the Sacramento Bee, should Gaines win Tuesday’s election, his wife, Beth Gaines, could become a contender to fill the vacant assembly seat in another special election.

and#8220;It is important for voters to take advantage of the voting rights that allow them to make decisions about who holds political power,and#8221; said Placer County Elections spokesman Jim McCauley. and#8220;Voters who fail to practice their right to vote are allowing others to make decisions for them and#8212; and they may not be making the decision that you would.and#8221;