The Associated Press

From a one room courthouse in rural Georgia to the Venice Beach lifeguard headquarters in Los Angeles, public campaigning gives way to the privacy of the voting booth. Control of the Senate, the makeup of the House and three dozen governorships are at stake.

Big-state Democratic governors in New York and California are seeking new terms, and challengers are testing Republican incumbents in Wisconsin, Florida and Pennsylvania, among 36 gubernatorial contests.

Voters in 41 states are also settling ballot questions ranging from gun laws to the minimum wage. Maine’s residents are settling the fate of a proposal to ban bear hunters from using bait, dogs or traps.

Here’s a photo gallery that shows Americans casting ballots across the country.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.