Saskatchewan voters have cast their ballots in Monday's provincial election.

They said they expect the action to pick up at the end of the day as voters head to the polls before they close at 8 p.m. CST.

Braving the first snow of the season, voters headed to the polls beginning at 9 a.m. CST on Monday to select their next provincial government.

Some people looking for information on where to vote were frustrated for part of the day when the Elections Saskatchewan website went down. The service was later restored.

In the western city of Lloydminster, in the Mountain Time Zone, polling hours are between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. MT.

Election night coverage CBC News will begin live coverage on election night as soon as the polls close at 8 p.m. CST. Tune in to CBC Television for our election results show, or log on to cbc.ca/saskvotes for up-to-the-minute results, a live chat, and a video stream of our televised program.

Saskatchewan Party Leader Brad Wall cast his ballot in Swift Current, Sask., on Monday morning.

Wall told reporters he will be watching the election results in the evening with family members at home.

NDP Leader Dwain Lingenfelter voted in a retirement home in central Regina. He and his wife, Rubiella, then spent the afternoon talking with voters in his constituency of Regina Douglas Park.

Advance voting numbers up

A total of 66,602 votes have been cast in advance polls, up about 34 per cent from the 49,572 cast before election day in 2007.

"The political parties are encouraging more supporters to go to the advance polls," Dave Wilkie, the province's acting chief electoral officer, told CBC News.

"Of course, Saskatchewan in November, you never know what's going to happen, as we found out today with the snow."

Monday's provincial election follows four weeks of campaigning by six political parties, including the incumbent Saskatchewan Party led by Brad Wall, and the opposition New Democratic Party led by Dwain Lingenfelter.

The Saskatchewan Party held 38 of the 58 seats in the legislature when the election was called on Oct. 10. Its base has been largely in rural Saskatchewan. New Democrats held 20 at dissolution, mostly in Regina and Saskatoon.

Wall and the Saskatchewan Party, an amalgamation of former Liberals and Conservatives who came together in the mid-1990s, defeated the NDP in 2007 and formed a majority government.

While Wall's party has been riding a wave of popularity, Lingenfelter and the NDP could suffer significant losses Monday.

Wall has run a steady campaign, promising little that would rock the boat, while Lingenfelter made a number of spending promises in hopes of enticing voters.

The Green Party, led by Victor Lau, ran a full slate of candidates. The provincial Liberals ran just nine candidates, including party leader Ryan Bater.

Also in the running are the Progressive Conservative Party and the Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan.