NSW election craziness sets in

Voting is underway across NSW with the latest poll showing Premier Mike Baird is set for a convincing win.

Premier Mike Baird goes head to head with Labor challenger Luke Foley today. Source: News Corp Australia

WELCOME to our rolling coverage of the NSW election. Keep an eye on this story throughout the day for the latest updates and live results.

If you're voting, here's what you need to know about the NSW election.

6.20pm — Controversy at polling booths

It was a big day on the hustings, one which was not without controversy.

A poster of Labor candidate for East Hills Cameron Murphy, running in the most marginal seat in the state, was plastered with stickers reading "pedophile lover", among other things.

Other candidates had to deal with vandalism too, including Liberal candidate for Hawkesbury Dominic Perrottet. Only his daughter was the one drawing all over his face.

A man wearing a Liberal party shirt was also seen walking away from a booth carrying a poster of Labor candidate O'Bray Smith.

6:00pm — Polls have now closed

Counting is underway. We'll have results here as they come in.

5.45pm — Exit polls show Baird on track for victory

Exit polls show that Premier Mike Baird and the Coalition are on track to reclaim NSW decisively, The Daily Telegraph reports.

A Seven News-ReachTEL poll put the Coalition ahead of Labor 54-46, while Nine's exit polls show the government is ahead 55-46.

Here's the full story.

5.35pm — Election craziness sets in

It looks like election night craziness has started to set in. Labor MP Anthony Albanese shared this pic via Instagram of Today show host Karl Stefanovic with the caption: "That @karlstefanovic is a friendly dude :) #nswvotes."

Albo is part of Channel Nine's election night coverage, hosted by Stefanovic.

5.30pm — Gotta love an Aussie election

Surfer Steve Rose votes at Bondi Bathers Surf Life Saving Club. Source: News Corp Australia

Here's democracy in action in Bondi, with Steve Rose snapped casting his ballot with his surf board under his arm. There are only 30 minutes left until polls close.

5.10pm — "I think it's going to be very close": The battle for a new seat

One of the more interesting races in the election is for the newly created seat of Newtown.

Situated in the heart of Sydney's trendy inner west, Newtown is not a battle between Liberal or Labor, but a fight between Labor and Greens.

The seat, which was created due to the growing inner-city population, is notionally Green, but the high-profile Labor candidate, MLC Penny Sharpe, is expected to perform strongly.

News.com.au reporter Charis Chang caught up with Greens candidate Jenny Leong at the polling place at Newtown Public School and she said "I think it's going to be very close".

"I do know we've inspired people ... and that feels good," she said.

4.55pm — Have The Greens managed to squeeze electoral advertising into cake stall?

Paddington is seeing green. Source: NewsComAu

Call us crazy, but have The Greens managed to squeeze some electoral advertising into a cake stall?

News.com.au's entertainment editor-at-large Melissa Hoyer snapped this pic at her polling place in Paddington, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, this afternoon.

4.45pm — Seats to watch

Although the Coalition is tipped to retain government when the votes are counted, Labor is expected to claw back some of the seats it lost when it was roundly kicked out of office in 2011.

Here are six of the key seats to watch, according to AAP:

● EAST HILLS, 0.2 per cent margin (Lib): Traditionally held by Labor and could easily be lost by the Liberals. The ALP's candidate is Cameron Murphy, former president of the NSW Council for Civil Liberties and son of former federal Labor attorney-general and High Court judge Lionel Murphy.

● SWANSEA, 0.3 per cent (Lib): Highly likely to fall to Labor. Sitting member Garry Edwards is suspended from the Liberal Party amid allegations heard before Independent Commission against Corruption he received banned property donations in the lead-up to 2011 election. He is standing as an independent.

● PROSPECT, 1.1 per cent (Lib): The renamed seat of Smithfield, held for 17 years by prominent former Labor MP Carl Scully, is now in Liberal hands. But with a margin of just 1.1 per cent, sitting MP Andrew Rohan will have to fight to retain this outer western Sydney electorate.

● MACQUARIE FIELDS, 1.8 per cent (Lib): Despite it being held by Labor's Andrew MacDonald, a recent redistribution actually has made it a notionally Liberal seat. But an expected swing against the Baird government could mean this seat stays in Labor hands.

● MONARO, 2.0 per cent (Nat): Former Labor minister Steve Whan is aiming to win his old seat back from The Nationals. He had earlier put his hand up to lead the Labor Party after the resignation of John Robertson.

● NEWTOWN, 4.4 per cent (GRN): A newly created seat after the 2013 redistribution. It is a notionally Green seat but will be tightly contested by Labor upper house MP Penny Sharpe.

Read the full list of seats to watch here.

4pm — Castle star's message to major parties: "Tell 'em they're dreamin'"

A little something to think about for Saturday.Authorised by Michael Caton. Spoken by Michael Caton. Performed by Michael Caton....... in a last ditch attempt to keep the bastards honest. #nswvotes

Posted by Michael Caton on Tuesday, 24 March 2015

The man who played Darryl Kerrigan in the Aussie classic The Castle has weighed into the NSW election. What's his message for the major parties? "Tell 'em they're dreamin'."

The Aussie actor has posted a video onto his Facebook page where he endorses candidates who have the most environmentally responsible policies in "a last-ditch attempt to keep the bastards honest".

He urges voters to dump the incumbent Nationals member for Barwon, Kevin Humphries, because he endorses a plan to mine for coal seam gas in the Pilliga State Forest, which Caton calls "an important recharge area for the Artesian Basin".

"He's the Minister for Water? Given me a break," Caton says.

The actor suggests voters instead put their support behind independent candidate Rohan Boehm.

"I give him my vote, just to shove it up the two major parties," Caton says.

He also endorses the Greens candidate for Upper Hunter, John Kaye, due to his opposition to further open-cut coalmining in the region.

"Now if you've driven through the place recently, it looks like something from the dark side of the moon, huge coalmines ripping through this once pristine valley. I mean famous vineyards covered in coal dust, to say nothing of kids lungs," Caton says.

3pm — Snag yourself a sausage sanger

It's still all about the sausage sizzles.

2.30pm — Baird makes last-ditch play for marginal seat

NSW Premier Mike Baird paid a last minute visit to the most marginal seat in the state as thousands attended polling booths to cast their vote in today's state election.

Mr Baird joined sitting East Hills Liberal MP Glenn Brookes, who holds the seat by 0.2 per cent or 107 votes, at Padstow Park Public School this afternoon, mingling with residents and even spinning the school's chocolate wheel.

2pm — Leaders cast their votes

An anxious time for the leaders now they have cast their votes.

NSW Premier Mike Baird and Oppn Leader Luke Foley have restated their policies before casting their votes.

1.30pm — Aussie-as on election day

A very Aussie polling booth.

12.25pm — Turnbull fronts up for Liberal colleagues … but where's Abbott?

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been tweeting pics of himself out supporting Liberal candidates in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

The vote today will not be a reflection on the federal government or Tony Abbott, he says.

No sign yet, though, of the Prime Minister.

11.50am — Leaders final pitch for votes

The leaders have voted and are naturally both talking up their chances.

Premier Mike Baird voted with his wife at Manly this morning and joked it was at least "two votes", while Labor leader Luke Foley cast his vote in western Sydney and promised there'd be no negativity today.

"Mike's a good bloke," he told Network Seven with a laugh. "He's my second choice for premier today."

11.30am — LOLs at the polls

Who said elections were boring? There's loads of comedy at the polling booths today. Which made up for the lack of sausages at some locations.

But alas, some people had to go without sausages.

11am — What voters really care about at the ballot box: Sausage sizzles and cake stalls

Find out where to get the best snags on election day. Source: News Corp Australia

Sure, the policies are important, but there's one thing that voters really care about when they head to the polls today.

And that's where to find the best sausage sizzles and cake stalls! Check out these awesome websites — Election Sausage Sizzle and Democracy Sausage — for your nearest snag sanger and lamington.

Here are some other important details:

● Polling places close at 6pm

● Voting is compulsory. You may be fined $55 if you fail to vote.

● Check whether your enrolment is up to date, which electorate you're in and where to vote by clicking here. Or phone 1300 135 736.

● If you know which electorate you're in, enter it below to see which candidates are running.

● Prepare to be handed a tablecloth. The upper house ballot paper has more candidates than ever: 394. For the Legislative Council (known as the Senate in Canberra), you can place a "1" above the line for the party of your choice. If you want to, you can then mark your subsequent preferences from "2" and so on. Or, you can vote for your preferences below the line by placing at least 1-15. If you're really keen, you can rank all 394 candidates.

● The smaller ballot paper is for the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. There you can simply mark "1" for your preferred candidate, or fill out the rest, starting with "2" if you wish.

MORE: What the candidates are saying, and what they really mean

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