After a day of long lines and busy polling stations, voting has closed in B.C.'s municipal elections.

Polls will start reporting shortly after 8 p.m., and then it'll be all eyes on high-profile races in Victoria, Saanich, Oak Bay and Nanaimo.

CTV Vancouver Island will have reporters in Nanaimo and all over the South Island providing up-to-the-minute coverage on Twitter, Facebook and our website.

There is strong interest in whether incumbent Lisa Helps will be able to stave off newcomers like lawyer and former Victoria tent city critic Stephen Hammond, Vancouver Island University professor Bruce McGuigan and lobbyist Michael Geoghegan.

If advance voting numbers are any indication, it could be one of the highest turnouts in B.C.'s capital yet.

City officials said advance voting numbers in Victoria have seen a 52 per cent increase this year over 2014's election.

Another race to watch is in Saanich, where incumbent Richard Atwell is seeking re-election and facing challengers Fred Haynes, David Shebib and Rob Wickson. Four council spots are also up for grabs.

Meanwhile in Oak Bay, two-term councillor Kevin Murdoch is looking to take down Nils Jensen, who has served as the city's mayor since 2011.

In Colwood, another two-term councillor – Rob Martin – is looking to unseat the town's two-term mayor Carol Hamilton.

Out in Sooke, Mayor Maja Tait who has served three terms in the mayor's chair will face opponents Kevin Pearson, a two-term councillor, and Mick Rhodes.

Many people from across the province will be closely watching the mayoral race in Nanaimo, where city hall has been plagued with scandal and infighting between council members and mayor Bill McKay, who is not seeking re-election.

But that race could also have massive implications in provincial politics if candidate Leonard Krog, who faces Don Hubbard and Raymon Farmere, is selected.

That's because Krog, a New Democrat MLA for the region, will automatically give up his seat in the legislature if he wins – triggering a bylection and possibly throwing his party's razor-thin minority government out of balance.

The NDP currently holds 41 seats in the legislature to the BC Liberals' 42, but has a confidence-and-supply agreement with three Green Party MLAs, giving them a slight edge in the house.

Meanwhile, mayors running opposed in cities like Central Saanich, View Royal, Metchosin, Highlands Ladysmith, Campbell River and Sayward were acclaimed the moment polls closed.