SASKATOON — Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe is encouraging voters to cast their ballots in advance of Monday's election. 

Today marks the start of five days of advance polls, which will be open from noon to 8 p.m.

Moe says voting early will help avoid potential crowding on election day at a time when COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the province.

He says Elections Saskatchewan has set up more advance polling stations than usual and they are staying open an hour longer than in past votes. 

Sask. Party candidate Marv Friesen intends to cast his vote early. 

He's running in the longtime NDP-held constituency of Saskatoon Riversdale, which the Saskatchewan Party only lost by several hundred votes in the 2016 election. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 20, 2020.

The Canadian Press