Polls close in tightly contested Saskatchewan election

Saskatchewan residents took their final opportunity to vote Monday in what has shaped up to be the most tightly contested provincial election in nearly two decades.After the dissolution of Scott Moe’s government earlier this month, the gap between his Saskatchewan Party and Carla Beck’s New Democrats has contracted significantly over a 27-day campaign period, according to independent polling by several agencies.Polls closed Monday at 8 p.m. CST, but results are not expected until the wee hours of Tuesday, the province’s electoral office said. Early voting last week amounted to 273,010, meaning about one-third of Saskatchewan’s 811,000 eligible voters had already cast their ballots – far larger than previous years.