The Liberal and Tory front-runners cast their ballots in New Brunswick's too-close-to-call election Monday, each claiming momentum had swung in his favour and victory is within reach.
New Brunswick voters began casting ballots Monday morning, as they decide whether to give Bernard Lord's Progressive Conservatives a third term after a campaign fought neck and neck with the Liberals.
Lord and his wife, Diane, brought their children Sébastien and Jasmine as they cast ballots in Lord's riding of Moncton-East on Monday morning.
Liberal Leader Shawn Graham and his wife Roxanne Reeves vote in their home riding of Kent.
(CBC)
Lord and his team stopped in 22 ridings, urging party supporters to get the vote out.
He said he's taking nothing for granted.
"I feel good. I think our chances of getting a majority are very good today. From what I've seen the last two days around the province of New Brunswick, the mood is excellent, the momentum is with us. But today is not a day to spin or to say anything. It's a day to let the people decide. Whatever they decide, I accept, I'm happy with."
NDP Leader Allison Brewer votes in her home riding of Fredericton-Lincoln.
(CBC)
Liberal Leader Shawn Graham and his wife, Roxanne Reeves, also cast their ballots early in Graham's hometown of Rexton in his riding of Kent.
At every stop during the four-week campaign, Graham delivered a simple message of change and seemed buoyed by a large Liberal rally Sunday in Neguac on the Acadian Peninsula.
'Momentum shift'
"We saw the momentum shift on the ground in the last two weeks of the campaign and I think that can be attributed to the fact that New Brunswickers became engaged once they finished their summer vacations and their children returned to school," he said.
"And it was the strength of our platform, our charter for change platform, that connected with New Brunswickers, and also the fact that New Brunswickers are looking for a new government."
NDP Leader Allison Brewer spent the final weekend of the campaign in Fredericton, where she's in a tough fight in her riding of Fredericton-Lincoln. She voted Monday morning accompanied by her son, Oliver, and her mother, Jackie Webster.
"I'm just enjoying the day, enjoying election day in New Brunswick, and having the opportunity myself to cast a vote for balance and accountability in the legislature," said Brewer. "Which is what I just did. There's no secret about who I voted for today."
Lord called the election in mid-August when it appeared his fragile majority government could collapse into a minority before the fall session.
Graham's team has spent the past four weeks snapping at Lord's heels in a two-way race that several opinion polls throughout the campaign have suggested is a statistical dead heat.
On-the-ground organization vital
Brewer has been trailing in third place. The NDP lost its sole seat in the legislature last year when former leader Elizabeth Weir retired from politics.
When the legislature was dissolved, the Tories had 28 seats and the Liberals 26. There was one Independent.
On voting day, on-the-ground organization is key, and both Liberal and Tory volunteers are planning to work the phones and drive to polling stations to ensure supporters cast ballots.
Despite the close race, Lord said he was confident his party workers would deliver a victory as about 480,000 eligible voters headed to the polls.
"The Conservative party of this province has a history of winning close elections and getting the vote out. We have a strong organization on the ground."
May vote in different district
Polling stations around the province opened at 10 a.m. AT and will close at 8 p.m.
Elections New Brunswick spokesman Paul Harpelle said voters should be aware that the riding boundaries have been redrawn and they may be voting in a different district than in 2003.
He said that if voters didn't receive an information card in the mail or have moved into a new district, the procedure is simple.
"If you are not on the voters' list or have changed your location, just bring some identification with your address and a signature."
Harpelle said identification with a name, civic address and a signature will allow poll station workers to verify a voter's right to cast a ballot.
There will be up to 9,000 Elections New Brunswick staff on deck to process the ballots.
More than 50,000 people have already cast their ballots in advance polls.
With files from the Canadian PressRelated
Internal Links
Video
- Tom Murphy reports for CBC-TV (Runs: 1:58)
play: real »
play: real »
play: quicktime »
| Party | Elected | Leading | Total | Vote Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LIB | 29 | 0 | 29 | 47.10% |
| PC | 26 | 0 | 26 | 47.50% |
| NDP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.10% |
| OTH | 0 | 0 | 0 | .20% |
| Last Update:September 19, 1:13:13 AM ADT | ||||