Here's what's on the minds of some early voters at the N.L. advance polls

Voters are already steadily making their way to the ballot box, with advance polling open one week before the Newfoundland and Labrador election.

"I haven't heard anything new. I haven't heard anything exciting. I've pretty much made up my mind, but I'm just hoping for the best," said Mireille Thomas at the St. John's East-Quidi Vidi polling station.

She said she's concerned about the rising cost of living, the cost of food and the uncertainty of what will happen when Muskrat Falls comes online, she said. 

"With the winters we have I'm really worried about that," said Thomas, who's voting Thursday because she'll be on holiday on May 16, election day. "A lot of people have jobs, but it's never enough to cover cost. That's one of the big worries."

Thomas also hopes that whichever party forms government, steady funding will still be allocated for francophone services across the province.

"They do get services, little bit by little bit I've seen over the last 40 years increase. So, I hope that the new government will keep that on," she said. 

"Because I know it's easy to cut and say, 'Oh, we're cutting taxes.'" 

Undecided, but not indifferent

Heidi Murphy, who also ticked her ballot early, audibly sighed when asked what she thought about this election.

"A bit torn, a bit confused. Definitely conflicted when I voted," Murphy said, explaining she wasn't entirely sure who'd get her support.

But Murphy didn't let ambivalence translate to apathy.

"I just wanted to make sure I still came out and did vote," she said.

Murphy said she felt ignored by candidates so far in the campaign. "Especially for my generation, I don't feel like they're targeting us whatsoever.… They're not doing much to help our cause," she said.

"A lot of people [are] leaving the province because there's no work. It doesn't feel very promising here right now."

Murphy, a health-care worker, wants to see more funding for preventative care and lower taxes.

Mark your ballot no matter what, voter says

Voter Gloria Montano said even if someone doesn't like any of their district's candidates, they should mark a ballot anyway — even if it's their own name they're writing down.

"I'm a proponent of the dissatisfaction being actively articulated," Montano said, arguing that spoiling a ballot is also a legitimate way to stay involved.

"When we have low voter turnout we just assume it's apathy. But it's also [that] some people deliberately choose not to vote because they have opted out of the whole process."

Montano herself is hoping for a minority government, which would force parties to work together to pass bills.

With just 40 members, she said, a minority win would ensure MHAs "get out from behind their colours and work together as human beings with a common goal."

Missing voter cards

Signs of disorganization following a hasty election call just 22 days earlier prompted frustration at the polls Thursday.

Staff at the polling station in St. John's East-Quidi Vidi estimated about three-quarters of the people coming in didn't receive their voter identification card. 

Thomas is one of them: She said, due to the missing card and a vacation planned for next week, she nearly didn't get to vote. 

Like others at the station, she expressed irritation that the card never arrived and disappointment that the advance polls weren't more thoroughly advertised.

A spokesperson for Elections NL said the office took out advertisements across radio, print and online platforms and suggested there was no glitch on their end with regards to voter cards.

"We issue cards to all people on the voters list," the spokesperson said. "If a person is confirmed to be on the voters list and did not receive a card, the issue could rest with the mail process."

Predictions

Data collected among voters have had polls swaying back and forth between a Liberal Party lead and a PC Party lead heading into Thursday's advance polls. 

The Progressive Conservatives held an edge among decided voters in an Abacus Data poll released Wednesday, but the same poll suggested most people believe the Liberals will remain in power once the votes are counted May. 16.

In a poll released Tuesday by MQO Research, 39 per cent of respondents hadn't decided who they were voting for. 

"It doesn't mean that much to me. You can have so many polls, and I'm a bit tired already of what's coming in the fall with the federal election. I think it's a bit negative, because I think it does influence people," Thomas said. 

"And that worries me, because I like for people to think for themselves."

Advance polls close at 8 p.m. Thursday.

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