What's at stake: 440 seats on provincial councils in most of Iraq except the Kurdish autonomous region in the north and the adjacent province that includes Kirkuk.
Candidates: More than 14,000 candidates representing both established parties and hundreds of new factions, most notably Sunni tribes that rose up against insurgents and now seek political rewards. Major parties include a Shiite group loyal to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki; the country's biggest Shiite party, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council; and the Iraqi Islamic Party, a Sunni Arab bloc.
Voting: Polls open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for an estimated 15 million eligible voters. Final results not expected for at least several days, and with so many parties, it may take even longer to determine which coalitions assume control of major provinces such as Baghdad, Basra and Mosul. Outside election monitors include observers from the United Nations and independent groups.
Security: Iraqi forces are taking the lead, but the U.S. military is in a standby role. A major clampdown imposed around Iraq includes traffic bans, border closings and double-ring cordons around polling places.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
