After a busy opening, day two of advance polling saw a calmer atmosphere at the station held in King Street’s Seventh-Day Adventist Hall.But as of 5pm yesterday, Parliamentary Registrar General Randy Scott reported that 1,423 advanced certificates had been issued — with a respectable 884 casting their ballots for the Island’s next Government.Mr Scott expected all certified voters to have done their duty by the close of polling at 8pm.“It’s a high turnout, in part because it’s been over two days this year — it used to be over one day, seven days before polling. These numbers suggest to us that we will get a top turnout. We have traditionally seen 75 to 80 percent turnout.”Advance polling was open for those who expected to be travelling during the election; from 10am today, Mr Scott and his staff will be visiting nursing homes and rest homes for a final round.“Then we wait for the main event,” the Registrar said.The Royal Gazette spoke with voters as they left the hall, filing past the hopeful independent, Progressive Labour Party and One Bermuda Alliance candidates.“I don’t think it’s going to be close at all — I just hope my vote counts,” said a woman voter who described herself as in her mid-40s.A male voter chimed in: “I would say it’s going to be close, but it will go to the PLP.”He described the atmosphere of the impending election as “more genteel this time” than what the Island went through five years ago.“To be honest, I was surprised that over the last couple of weeks we haven’t seen more mudslinging,” he added.Both said they would be travelling on December 17, and commended advance polling as smoothly organised.A 63-year-old woman expressed a degree of ambivalence over the vote she had just cast.“I think this is going to be close. I feel very up and down about it,” she said.“To me, both parties have their ‘do’s and don’ts’ but nobody seems sure about anything. Whoever gets in will have the same old, same old issues to deal with, before they can deal with anything else.”She added: “They’re not going to be able to deal with anything else — not unless money falls out of the sky.”She said her own election forebodings were reflected in the generally sombre feeling of the community.“Last time people seemed more joyous. Right now it’s very serious. It’s like the election has overclouded us. There’s a lot of uncertainty, and I think that’s what people are afraid of.”The Royal Gazette spoke with one polling station staff member as he ended his shift.“Turnout has been good. Today was quieter, I guess,” he said. “I figure close to 500 people showed up yesterday. I was there all day until 8pm.”Election agents for either party were present to mark off advance voters from the electoral roll, he said.“You have agents from the OBA at one end of the table and from the PLP at the other, with Registrar staff between us,” he explained. “I don’t touch any of the actual paperwork. The Registrar staff tell me the name and I cross it off my list for the PLP, the same as the OBA does their. It’s so that each party keeps count.”He described himself as “happy with the PLP right now” and expected Government to come out top, but conceded it was a close bet.“I’m an entrepreneur,” he said. “I took licks from the United Bermuda Party for a long time — they took small businesses off their books and the Government has looked after small businesses. So I’m pleased with how it’s gone.”Useful website: www.elections.gov.bm.