The campaigners across all facets of Canberra's lively political life were out in the sunshine for the day, enjoying a few last hours of optimism before the raw numbers started to flow in after 6.30pm.

While many families headed out to schools and booths around the city; lines were short, some non-existent, partly due to the massive number of voters who got in early.

They could now relax in the knowledge they did not have to awkwardly avoid the would-be politicians and their hangers-on lurking around every corner – some in areas they just should have avoided.

You're too close: complaints

ACT Electoral Commissioner Phillip Green said mid-afternoon there had already been numerous complaints about campaigners inside the 100-metre exclusion zones around polling places.

"There have been a lot of people out there reporting on it, but it's been dealt with fairly quickly," he said.

"We don't have a team where we can patrol all the polling places all the time."

Mr Green said polling area managers have been patrolling voting areas and removing signs and election material in the 100-metre zone.

There were even reports of campaigners driving cars with political signage into the exclusion area – a practice Mr Green said would also breach the rules.

Politicians? Beer? The voters' choice.

But there are no regulations against enterprising businesses taking advantage of the many people out and about, with one local establishment putting out their own election-day sign, marked with an arrow pointing to "Politicians" and a second arrow pointing inside, marked: "Beer".

While that establishment urged people to "Choose wisely", as the sign read, others were looking to influence voters' decisions at the ballot box.

Clubs take to the phones

Numerous reports came in during the day from members of various clubs around Canberra, which sent out form text messages to members urging them to vote for the Liberal Party.

A timely intervention possibly associated with the lengthy campaign that has been run by Clubs ACT against the current government.

Don't tell me you haven't seen the beer coasters.

One party parties, others party partly

As the political party faithful gathered at their separate venues, all were touting their likely success as the votes began to roll in.

Early on, it looked like a fairly close contest, despite the fact Saturday's results were only the first preference count – 78.1 per cent of the first preferences counted, with Labor leading the Liberals 39 per cent to 35.6 per cent at the time of filing.

The Greens were secure in the comfort knowledge Shane Rattenbury would be a shoo-in, but it could be days before we know either way if the rumoured two or three seats results for the minor party.

But nonetheless, the Canberra Liberals never quite levelled the competition, with leader Jeremy Hanson shortly after 9pm telling his loyal followers he had called Chief Minister Andrew Barr to concede defeat.

It was a remarkable achievement for Labor (five terms is no easy task for any government), and one that will have the Liberals seriously considering drinking more green tea as the party re-evaluates its approach for next time.