Saskatchewan voters make their mark

This provincial election is shaping up to be a nail biter, with data heading into today’s election showing the two front runners neck and neck.

In Saskatoon, voters showed up to polling stations on Monday ready to make their mark,.

For first-time voter Misheal Waheed, who moved here from Dubai four years ago, this is a big day.

“It went smoothly, and it was exciting to put the ballot in the box,” Waheed told CTV News.

She was out with her older sister Bariah who is also voting in her first provincial election. They were among the voters who chose to cast a ballot on Monday, the final day of what is now called election week.

“You can't complain if you don't vote. So people that try to complain I say, if you didn't vote, don't complain,” Darryl Bird told CTV News.

“Every vote matters and you're voting in the decision makers for your communities and your city. So if you put your vote in, you can help make those decisions,” voter Nathan Fisher said.

More than 270,000 voters used advanced polls this year, marking a major shift from elections of the past and it’s designed to be.

• Click here to watch our live election night coverage and catch a blow-by-blow from our reporters in the field

“The final day of voting … it used to be known as election day, was the one day for people to vote. Now we have a voting week which has been six days, 56 hours in total to vote. And so, we really have seen an increase,” Tim Kydd with Elections Saskatchewan told CTV News.

Among the Saskatoon voters who spoke to CTV News outside polling stations across the city, there were some common issues.

“Health care and education seem to be really big ones this year for people. So, that might sway things one way or another,” Chris Elash told us just after he cast his vote.

Saskatoon man Darryl Bird says he votes to earn himself the right to complain. (Carla Shynkaruk / CTV News)

“Busses, bring our busses back, like the STC especially for people in the north,” Bird said.

“I'm hoping anyways, with the vote I'm about to make, that if they're chosen, then they'll be able to go towards that and make it better, like fund education, get more doctors in,” Waheed said.

“School funding has been a big one that I’ve heard a lot about. It’s the biggest one I’ve noticed,” Fisher says.

There were 716 voting locations open across the province on Monday, in the hopes of giving everyone a fair chance to fulfill their democratic duty.

“That's an increase on the final day of voting, and that is in rural areas to ensure that every voter isn't asked to drive more than 30 minutes to get to a location. So we add a number of locations on the final day of voting in rural Saskatchewan,” Kydd said.

Now, Saskatchewan waits for the decision and the answer to who will lead our province for the next four years.