Nova Scotians head to the polls Tuesday to vote in snap election

Nova Scotians will cast their votes Tuesday in a snap provincial election.

The election campaign wrapped up Monday after just over four weeks of campaigning.

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston, who called the early election on Oct. 27, is seeking a second term as premier.

Election day takes place seven months before the fixed election date on July 15, 2025.

Houston said he called the early election because Nova Scotians deserve the chance to weigh in on the second phase of his party’s plan to turn the province into what he calls a “powerhouse.”

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill led his party through an election campaign for the first time. He says the Liberals have created a platform that can transform the lives of people in the province.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender also led her party through an election for the first time. She says an NDP government would improve the lives of all Nova Scotians by creating more affordable housing and improving access to health care.

Houston will be in his home riding of Pictou East Tuesday where he is scheduled to vote at a local community centre.

Churchill and Chender voted in advance polls.

Chender is set to spend the day in Halifax, while Churchill will be in his Yarmouth riding. 

Nova Scotians can vote in-person from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at their assigned voting location or at the returning office in their electoral district.

However, Elections Nova Scotia says Electoral District 22 Eastern Shore in Mushaboom was not able to open for voting by 8 a.m. Tuesday.

It has since opened and voting at the location will be extended by one hour until 9 p.m.

The agency says it experienced high call volumes Tuesday morning through its public call centre and high traffic on its website.

“Unfortunately, this had caused service delays and connection issues. We appreciate voters’ patience, our website is now available again. Please try again to connect by calling 1-800-565-1504 or use the ‘where do I vote’ tool at electionsnovascotia.ca,” reads a Tuesday morning news release from Elections Nova Scotia. 

Here is a list of all 55 electoral districts and the candidates running in each one.

The Progressive Conservatives held 34 seats at dissolution, the Liberals held 14, while the NDP had six, and there was one Independent.

Elections Nova Scotia released figures Monday evening indicating that early voter turnout had fallen about nine per cent compared with the 2021 general election.

As of 8 p.m. Monday, a total of 160,698 early votes had been cast, down about 16,000 voters from the 176,793 who voted early in 2021.

There are about 787,000 registered voters in Nova Scotia.

CTV Atlantic will air special coverage of the provincial election beginning at 8 p.m. local time. It will also be livestreamed on atlantic.ctvnews.ca.

With files from The Canadian Press