Voters braved the icy cold winds in the afternoon to have their say on who should be running the country.

Read more here.

4pm: Voters in Henty lined up out the door for their turn to vote in the Farrer electorate. 

One Henty resident used the voting compass to help her decide who to vote for.

Read more here. 

9.30am: The odds are in and the Coalition has started election day as $1.08 favourites to take government.

“There has been some support for Labor in the past 24 hours but the weight of the money is very much still indicating a Coalition victory this evening,’’ sportsbet’s Will Byrne said.

9.15am: Denny Fachin and his team of 15 people at the Griffith PCYC have been up and at it since 7am – and they’ve got a long day ahead of them.

The polling centre opened at 8am and 3500 people are expected to make their way through the PCYC before the day is out, Mr Fachin told The Area News.

“I am here to make sure things flow well here today. We are here to help people in any way we can,” Mr Fachin said.

9AM: Good morning and welcome to rolling coverage of the 2016 federal election in the Riverina and Farrer electorates.

We’ll be bringing you live updates from right across the two seats as election day rolls on.

Before we get to ahead of ourselves, here the basics for when you head to the polls today.

Who’s running

In the Riverina, incumbent Nationals member Michael McCormack faces four challengers. 

In ballot order:

In Farrer, Sussan Ley initially had six people lining up to knock her out of the seat. That number dropped to five when the Labor candidate, Christian Kunde, removed himself from the race.

In ballot order:

Where to vote:

10.05am: Liberal candidate and sitting member for Farrer Sussan Ley cast her vote at the Griffith PCYC polling booth shortly after 8am today.

Ms Ley said she would head on to Deniliquin before returning home to Albury today.

10.20am: Leeton’s Timothy Smith, 20, is at a polling booth today in support of the Christian Democratic Party. He said he believed marriage should be between a man and a woman. He also urged people, particularly young people, to ensure their vote counts.

10.25am: Liberal candidate said although it was cold in Griffith, there was a real buzz in the air. “I’m just so excited that parts of the Riverina – Griffith, Leeton, Narrandera, Hillston are coming into the electorate of Farrer,” Ms Ley said.

10.30am: Christian Democratic Party candidate Paul Rossetto said he decided to run as a candidate because he was concerned Sussan Ley supported same-sex marriage.

10.35am: Mr Rossetto said the Christian Democratic Party was the only true conservative party left in politics. 

“We stand for traditional marriage, we stand for good financial management of our economy, we don’t like waste, we don’t want cuts to aged care, we don’t want cuts to health care,” Mr Rossetto said.

“We are the party that respects life from conception through to natural death so we’re not in favour of euthanasia."

10.40am: Farrer Mature Australia Party candidate Trevor O’Brien said water would be a priority if he was elected.

“We’re going to be looking at water in a serious manner and a transaction tax in the near future if we can,” Mr O’Brien said.

10.50am: Griffith’s Peter Knox, who was handing out how to vote cards for the Labor Party, said he hoped one day the messiah would come for Labor. “If not this election, it will be the next one I’m sure,” he said.

11.00am: Riverina voting is well and truly underway and Glenfield Park Scout Hall is a stand-out with hundreds of locals queuing down the street to have their voices heard. 

Meanwhile, teenage scouts have taken the opportunity to showcase their skills and abilities by constructing tents near the polling booths to the admiration of passers-by. 

Lachlan Kotzur, 12, one of the young scouts, said elections and politics didn’t make much sense to him. 

“We’re not really sure what’s happening today, peoiple are voting and we’re just here to make a tent and eat some sausages,” he said. 

11.10am: Member for Riverina Michael McCormack, his wife in tow, arrives at Lutheran School in Tatton to lodge his official vote for the 2016 election. 

The Nationals candidate gracefully slipped through volunteers for rival parties, choosing not to divulge “who he was voting for”.

Mr McCormack was then swarmed with a number of Wagga residents who are full or praise and encouragement for the incumbent. 

He tells The Daily Advertiser he hopes to celebrate a convincing victory at the Murrumbidgee Turf Club this evening – providing The Riverina makes the ”right decision”. 

11.20am: Michael McCormack has lodged his vote, presumably for himself, and has now walked over to snack on a traditional “democratic sausage”. 

11.30am: Former state Labor candidate Glenn Elliot-Rudder has joined the fray at a Glenfield polling station, confident Tim Kurylowicz can derail the National’s hype train. 

“I think it’ll be interesting to watch a lot of the marginal seats slip by into Labor’s hands,” he said.

“We’re going to see a lot of the senate jesters challenge the libs, that’s for sure.”

He is wearing a jumper of Malcolm Turnbull with the caption, “fizza”. 

11.40am: Traffic chaos with a minor collision in Fitzmaurice Street and a number of cars stuck in the intersection on a red light as voters are caught in a desperate rush to have their say. 

Locals are flocking to the Wesley Church Hall in droves, likely due to its convenient location in central Wagga. 

2.40pm: Candidates have been vying for the swinging vote right around the Riverina all morning.

Nationals candidate Michael McCormack’s vest was no match for the biting winds blowing through Lake Albert Public School, prompting him to duck off for coffees for political volunteers of all persuasions.

“I went and bought coffee for Christian Democrats and Labor volunteers.

“I honestly think the comradery between the volunteers and party faithful is strong, everyone’s very good to each other.”

One voter balked at Mr McCormack’s offer of a how-to-vote card, telling him to wipe his bottom with it.

“Isn't that a great democratic right that you can tell your local member that,” he said.

Labor’s Tim Kurylowicz spent the morning touring the electorate, stopping in at Gundagai, Nangus, Junee and Coolamon.

“The was genuine anger in the community and quite a palpable shift to Labor at both Gundagai booths,” Mr Kurylowicz said.

“Nangus is tiny little community and a lot of people were really thrilled to have a candidate out to visit, whether they vote for me or not.

“In Junee a lot of people were really interested in high speed rail given it's historically been a railway town.

“Had a chat about the late great Eddy Graham, the last Labor member to hold the state seat of Wagga, who delivered CSU and the abbatoirs.”

3.15pm: Labor candidate Tim Kurylowicz arrives at North Wagga Public School with his son Edwin Hawke Kurylowicz on his shoulders to cast his vote.

Mr Kurylowicz tells The Daily Advertiser he plans to enroll Edwin at that very school. 

“His middle name is named after Bob Hawke, the founder of medicare – and that’s one of the reasons we’re voting today,” he said. 

Labor’s candidate stresses the urgency to support education and give Riverina’s kids the same opportunities that children get in the big cities.

He concludes the visit by logging his official vote, presumably for the Labor party.

6:10pm As Sarah Lewis hands in her ballot at the Griffith PCYC, it brings a close to voting. No we wait for the votes to be counted.

6:30pm Mature Age Party candidate Trevor O’Brien was down at the PCYC right until voting was closed at 6pm today and overall he said the day was a success.

“It’s been a wonderful day,” he said.

“It’s been great excitement and that’s what you have to look at.

“I hope we got something that’s going to show on the agenda that we have to improve on our local area, might get more leeway for money coming into the area.”