Plan to stay up a little later on election night.

An Elections Canada law prohibits news media from publishing or broadcasting results until all polls in Canada close. Here, we must wait until 10 p.m. Tuesday. The rule, which may be severely tested in this era of blogs and instant communication, tries to ensure results from one part of the country don't influence voters in another section where polls are still open.

But will it work, and what does it mean?

In Ontario, the polls will not close until 9:30 p.m. Media outlets are prohibited to release results until 10 p.m. These changes come about as our federal election, overshadowed at its beginning by a historic U.S. presidential campaign and now by a global financial crisis, has finally started, in the last few days of the campaign, to catch the interest of the Canadian public.

With three days to go, a new poll, commissioned by our sister newspaper the Toronto Star, shows the race tightening in the key battleground province of Ontario but with a Conservative minority government likely.

Expect local candidates to be out until the last minute, trying to win your vote at local events and fairs this weekend.

Today's Hamilton Spectator is filled with information to help you make the best decision. Aside from our extensive news coverage, our Weekend Reader section has profiles of our local ridings. The profiles list boundaries, candidates and where they stand as we get ready to vote Tuesday. We also summarize for readers the party's key platforms and campaign promises over the past few weeks.

"This election may have started as a sleeper, but the downturn in the economy has certainly woken both politicians and voters," says our election editor, Nicole MacIntyre. "With polls showing Harper's lead shrinking, I think the final few days of this campaign could surprise us all."

Nicole heads a team of writers and photographers who will file from across the region Tuesday night, covering the results from seven ridings.

Our web coverage on election night will try several new approaches to bring you all the news you need and fast. It starts with a live blog hosted by Spectator writer Bill Dunphy. You can take part in this interactive broadcast on our website.

The website will also give up-to-the-minute results in Hamilton and across the province and the country. Once again we will be using the Canadian Press national riding results board where all ridings are automatically updated immediately. This live graphic, which begins on thespec.com at 10 p.m., will be the fastest way to track results.

We will also be supplementing the site with local updates, photos and videos. This activity will be lead by newsroom staff Peter Haentjens and Tom Hogue.

And for those who want to go to bed early, pick up Wednesday's Spectator for the most in-depth coverage of our region.

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We have much to be thankful for, and this Thanksgiving weekend I want to wish you and your families all the best. Enjoy the weekend.

David Estok is The Spectator's editor-in-chief. editorfeedback@thespec.com