Voters head to the polls in southwestern Ontario

Ontario’s political parties have made their pitches and now it’s up to voters to cast their ballots and decide who will form the next provincial government.

Polls opened at 9 a.m. Thursday and will close at 9 p.m.

Voters at one polling station in Kitchener-Centre told CTV News it’s been a smooth morning and they were able to get in and out in minutes.

That comes as a relief after the last federal election where some voters had to stand in long lines.

Elections Ontario said they’ve worked to speed up the process by eliminating the need for electors to line up at a specific station to get their ballot.

“In the past you’ve been lining up with eight people and there’s the line next to you that has nobody in it,” said Jo Langham with Elections Ontario. “This time we have a bank teller model so you will be going to the first available poll official. So we really do think it will be fast and easy.”

SOME POLLS OPEN LATE, BUT ELECTIONS ONTARIO SAYS NO TECHNICAL ISSUES

Despite the process being quicker than previous years, some electors in Guelph said they were not able to cast a ballot when they arrived.

In an email to CTV News Elections Ontario said: “There have been some last-minute voting location changes which is why we are encouraging electors to enter their postal code into the voter information service on elections.on.ca, check the Elections Ontario app or call 1-888-668-8683 before they head out to the polls."

At the Stratford Rotary Complex, some were told voting was temporarily delayed due to technical issues.

However Elections Ontario said that was not the case.

"There are no technical issues at the polls that are impacting the voting process," Elections Ontario said. "All polls are open, and we continue to process electors."

Elections Ontario added that some polls were opened late, but have not yet provided a reason.

VOTERS' PERSPECTIVE

Some voters told CTV News that they knew which candidate they were going to pick, while others were making a last minute decision.

“I didn’t make up my mind until this morning,” said voter Dave Welwood.

“I usually vote by party rather than the candidate,” explained voter Cait Woodcock. “I usually just stick with my usual.”

Electors CTV spoke with said the most important issues to them included the environment, affordable housing, healthcare and education.

“Definitely climate obviously, that’s a really big one always. And has always influenced my vote, so hopefully we see a bit of change with that this year,” Woodcock said.

ANALYSIS

According to an Andrea Perrella, an associate professor of political science at Wilfrid Laurier University, voters seemed to be tired from the pandemic. He said despite the changes that an election can bring, there has not been a lot of enthusiasm for this campaign.

“Neither in terms of positive energy, where people would want to see someone in office, or negative rage,” Perrella said, describing the public's attitude toward this election as "a collective shrug."

According to Perrella, it has been a pretty scandal free campaign. He doesn’t expect to see much change in leadership after the votes are all tallied.

“[We're] Probably going to see the same thing, a carbon copy of what we got in 2018. There may be a couple of seat changes here and there, but some of the polls suggest that the PC majority may even grow,” Perrella said.

In 2018, voters in Waterloo region elected three Progressive Conservative and two New Democratic Party MPPs. Two of those PC seats were won by pretty tight margins.

As far as what ridings Perrella will paying particular attention to on Thursday night, he said all the ridings in Waterloo region are worth keeping an eye on.

“Cambridge is interesting because [Belinda] Karahalios is running again, but not as a PC candidate. So she’s the incumbent, but with the New Blue Party, and I’m wondering how many of the 2018 voters will follow her to the New Blue. I still think the PCs have a good chance of winning in Cambridge, that’s one riding to watch. Kitchener-Centre as well. Kitchener-Conestoga is interesting because in 2018 the margin was extremely tight, like 686 for [Progressive Conservative candidate] Mike Harris. We’ll see if that margin grows, assuming that some of the NDP votes will bleed back into the Liberals.”