It was a slower start to election day for Port Macquarie residents, with one volunteer describing the flow of voters as "steady" at Hastings Secondary College Westport Campus polling centre.
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Many eligible voters took the opportunity to pre-poll this year, with 19,569 residents casting their vote before election day at the two early voting centres in Port Macquarie, according to figures from the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).
Across the country, almost six million people cast their vote early, foregoing their democracy sausage.
The AEC also received 2.73 million postal vote applications for the 2022 federal election, compared to 1.5m in 2019.
The Port Macquarie News visited a few polling centres on election day to find out what issues matter the most to the community.
Port Macquarie resident Beryl Walters said her biggest issue that she wants the government to tackle following the election is waste management and education standards.
"I also worry about the people not receiving health care and those who work in health care," she said.
"We need to focus more on efficiency and I think the government has been doing that."
Tracey Barrance said the economy should be the government's highest priority following the election.
"First and foremost is the economy and also attitudes to women in the workplace as well. I think that does need to change," she said.
Voting centres across Port Macquarie will remain open until 6pm tonight. If you are yet to cast your vote, head to the AEC website to find the nearest polling centre.
The AEC will begin the task of counting ballots from tonight as the country votes for its next government.
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