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Victorians to cast final election votes as Daniel Andrews and Matthew Guy battle for power - ABC News

Victorians will today cast their final votes in the state election, after a campaign marked by big-spending pledges and cost-of-living pressures.

By Friday night, more than 1.9 million Victorians had opted to vote early — compared to just under 1.4 million in 2018.

Polling stations around the state will open from 8am to 6pm today, with a COVID-safe drive-through option on offer in Melbourne's west.

Premier Daniel Andrews was among the Victorians who voted early, posting a photo to social media as he cast his ballot with his family at an inner-city booth.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy is expected to vote today in his seat of Bulleen in Melbourne's north-east.

Throughout the election campaign, both sides of politics have aimed to sharpen their election promises around rising cost-of-living pressures.

The Coalition has campaigned hard on its promise to cap Melbourne public transport fares at $2 a day and halve V/Line fares — a measure it said would kick in from the start of next year.

Labor has argued its promise to revive the State Electricity Commission would ultimately drive down power prices, while spearheading investment in renewable energy.

Daniel Andrews holds his hands out as he addresses a media conference.
Premier Daniel Andrews made his third media visit to the inner-Melbourne electorate of Northcote on Friday.(AAP: Joel Carrett)

Both Labor and the Coalition have pledged billions of dollars for hospital upgrades and rebuilds, and on Thursday offered their explanation to voters on how they would fund those while managing the state's rising debt.

On Friday, both leaders acknowledged the election race had tightened.

"Every seat's close," Mr Andrews said.

"Whole elections are determined by a handful of votes and a handful of seats and that's why I'm asking people to vote for a strong, stable, majority Labor government."

Matthew Guy laughs, surrounded by supporters in Sovereign Hill.
Liberal leader Matthew Guy was joined by Eildon MP Cindy McLeish (far right) and candidates for Wendouree and Eureka in Ballarat on Friday.(AAP: James Ross)

Mr Guy said he was not focused on "anything else but winning".

"Victorians wouldn't expect me to be anything else but that, because I know this is our chance for the state to move on," he said.

"For Victoria to be the place it should be — confident and powerful as we have been in the past, a strong state that has great plans for the future, and I'm not going to waste that chance."

Diverse range of candidates could produce long night of counting

A record number of candidates are contesting the election, which could result in a long night of vote counting and unexpected results as new dynamics play out in seats around the state.

The Greens are hoping to strengthen their presence in the lower house and seize more seats from Labor in inner-Melbourne such as Richmond, Northcote and Albert Park.

In Melbourne's west, Labor is also facing pressure in seats such as Melton and Point Cook, where independents are arguing the safe Labor territory has been chronically underfunded for years.

The Liberal Party is fighting to win back or hold onto a swag of seats in Melbourne's east and south-east, including the seats of Caulfield, Kew and Hawthorn.

In the upper house, a swag of micro-parties are contesting regions for the first time, seeking to harness simmering pandemic frustration in the community.

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMibmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIyLTExLTI2Ly12aWMtZWxlY3Rpb24tZGF5LWZpbmFsLXZvdGVzLWNhc3QtZGFuaWVsLWFuZHJld3MtbWF0dGhldy1ndXkvMTAxNjk4NDM40gEA?oc=5

2022-11-25 14:13:40Z
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