Despite polls showing Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty was on the verge of forming his second straight majority government, he spent Wednesday night pacing inside Ottawa's Chateau Laurier Hotel while waiting for the election results.
"I just go and bite my nails and pace the floor until the results come,'' McGuinty admitted as he cast his ballot in Ottawa South, the riding he has represented since 1990.
McGuinty is trying to accomplish an impressive feat -- becoming the first leader in 70 years to form a second straight majority Liberal government.
Residents across Ontario headed to the polls on Wednesday, following an election campaign dominated by the issue of public funding for faith-based schools.
The polls opened at 9 a.m. ET at more than 29,000 polling stations in 107 ridings across the province and will close at 9 p.m. ET.
The day started off with a minor setback in the Etobicoke North riding where several election workers didn't show up to work. That meant a few polling stations were without enough ballot boxes as officials went door-to-door to reclaim the boxes from the no-shows, Ontario Chief Electoral Officer John Hollins told The Canadian Press.
Party leaders, however, made it to their polling stations without any trouble at all.
McGuinty voted with his wife Terri in his Ottawa riding this afternoon. He refused to make any predictions about the election outcome as he cast his ballot, but said he hopes voter turnout is higher than the 56 per cent that turned out in 2003 -- the year the Liberals won their first majority.
Earlier, two of McGuinty's rivals choked back tears as they went to cast their ballots.
This was the first time NDP Leader Howard Hampton voted without his father, who passed away last year. Nonetheless, he cast his ballot in his riding of Fort Frances with his mother Elsie by his side.
He said he was feeling optimistic about the vote results, despite murmurs this might be his last election. He insisted it wouldn't be his last despite questions over his leadership of the party.
"No, no, I like my job, I like doing this stuff," he said. "Despite what you sometimes may think."
Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory accompanied his father who lives in the Don Valley West riding where his son is running.
Tory became emotional as he watched his dad vote, joking that he had made sure to brief him on who to vote for.
It's been a rough campaign for Tory, who has come under constant attack for his controversial promise to extend public school funding to religious schools. Nonetheless, he told reporters he was feeling optimistic.
"I have great confidence in the people of Ontario. They're fair people and they'll make whatever decision they think is best,'' he said.
For most, the decision will come down to a pick between the two frontrunners: McGuinty and Tory.
The opposition has attacked McGuinty on his record of "broken promises," while Tory's controversial plan to fund religious schools virtually dominated the campaign.
Meanwhile, Hampton is hoping to pull in voters who support his social-services agenda.
Extra ballot on election day
Voters will also get an extra ballot on election day, to be cast in the province's first referendum in more than 80 years.
The referendum question is: "Which electoral system should Ontario use to elect members to the provincial legislature?'' Options will be the existing so-called "first past the post'' electoral system, or a mixed member proportional system.
The proposed mixed member proportional system would give citizens two votes -- one for the political party of their choice and another for a local candidate.
Advocates say electoral reform would bring a balance of power in the legislature that better reflects the popular vote.
Karen Bird, a political science professor from McMaster University, said the system would mean voters would be able to choose their favourite local candidate, and the party they would like to see in power.
"What we would get under this proposal is a legislature where the proportion of seats held by parties is more or less exactly reflective of the proportion of the vote for those parties among the public," Bird told CTV Newsnet.
"So what this has going for it is that it is a more accurate way of translating how voters are expressing their opinion into seats."
"It's important for New Democrats to make gains," Hampton told CTV News Wednesday morning. "That's the only way to make sure Dalton McGuinty doesn't get a blank cheque."
Green Party Leader Frank de Jong said he hopes his party will make history this time around.
"Outside the GTA, things have been going very, very well for the Green Party," he said. "In fact, we are anticipating electing our first MPP."
