BANGOR – With a presidential election, several hotly contested state and local questions, and a host of city, state and national elective positions to fill on Nov. 2, Bangor is bracing for heavy voter turnout.

While there’s no way to predict how many voters will turn up at the polls on Election Day, the 82 percent turnout Bangor saw in the 2000 presidential election suggests participation this year will be strong, given such issues as a proposed statewide tax cap, the future of bear baiting and the site of Bangor’s next police station facing city voters.

Though Maine election law allows for same-day voter registration, Bangor City Clerk Patti Dubois is urging residents who haven’t yet registered to vote to do so before Election Day to help avoid long lines and delays at the city’s eight polling sites.

Dubois, recently named to the clerk post left vacant by the retirement of Gail Campbell, who has remained on board on a part-time basis to help with the transition, said people registering to vote should be prepared to show identification and proof of residency.

“Human nature is to wait until the last minute, but we’re trying to encourage people to register early,” Dubois said Wednesday. “Obviously sooner is better, but there is no time cutoff.”

To make it easier to register, the city is offering extended hours this month. City Hall, which usually closes at 4:30 p.m., will be open from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, Oct. 26-28, and from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 30.

Another sign that turnout will be high next month is the fact that with a month to go before elections, the city has fielded roughly 1,000 requests for absentee ballots, an option more and more voters are turning to as a matter of convenience. The number of Mainers voting absentee has increased sharply since 2000, when the state implemented a new rule allowing people to cast absentee ballots without having to give a reason.

Other city measures aimed at ensuring Election Day runs smoothly include a second round of mailings informing Bangor voters of possible changes in polling sites.

Bangor’s voting wards are determined by the boundaries set for state legislative districts, which are adjusted every 10 years to reflect population shifts determined by the decennial census.

Though the city sent hot pink postcards to its roughly 18,000 registered voters before the June 8 primary elections, it decided to issue another batch, this time lime green, because the primaries drew few voters and many residents might still be unaware of the changes.