REGINA - Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert put the best spin on his party's predicament when he spoke to subdued campaign workers at a Regina strip mall Tuesday.

"It comes now down to E-day work. When we are in these very tight circumstances in some of our constituencies, that's what is going to make the difference,'' the NDP leader said of Wednesday's provincial election. "Tens of votes will make the difference.''

The message was aimed at NDP supporters across the province as much as it was at the volunteers in front of him. It was one last rallying cry as Calvert and his party -- which has been in power for 16 years -- tried to fight off a change in government that polls suggested was imminent.

Speaking with reporters later, Calvert acknowledged the movement toward change, but questioned the logic.

"It's been our challenge in the campaign to point out that change just for the sake of change brings with it a fair risk,'' he said. "It's a challenge. We're not finished yet. We still have a few hours.''

If the economy were an accurate indicator of political success, Calvert's New Democrats would not be 20 points behind in public opinion polls.

Times are good in Saskatchewan. There are lots of jobs thanks to a red-hot economy and the tide of people leaving for Alberta seems to have been stemmed.

Still, the numbers suggest voters are ready to toss the incumbent government out and hand the keys to the legislature to the Saskatchewan Party, a fusion of disgruntled Liberals and vanquished Tories who came together 10 years ago.

When the election was called, the New Democrats held 30 seats in the legislature while the Saskatchewan Party had the other 28. The Liberals, whose leader David Karwacki failed to win a seat for himself in a 2006 byelection, are hoping for an electoral breakthrough this time.

Saskatchewan is at a crossroads, said Cristine de Clercy, a political science professor at the University of Western Ontario, who follows the province closely.

The New Democrats are battling the baggage that comes with being a four-term government, while voters are looking at who can best manage and maintain the province's economic success.

"A 16-year run in office is quite admirable by Canadian provincial standards,'' de Clercy said. "The unexpected windfall that Saskatchewan has received has some voters thinking ... `How can we use these revenues to lay down a new economic foundation for the province that will benefit Saskatchewanians when the boom cycle ends?'''

The Saskatchewan Party has both modernized and softened its image in recent years under leader Brad Wall, a good communicator with a sharp wit, who appeals to both the party's rural base and to the city voters it needs to succeed.

Under Wall, who at 42 is 12 years younger than Calvert, the party looks fresh and energetic, de Clercy said.

He also has sealed up gaps in Saskatchewan Party policy that the NDP used to scare voters away from the opposition in the last election. The most successful example of that was when Calvert pounced on a suggestion that his opponent planned to privatize the province's Crown utilities.

Wall has been unequivocal this time around about his intention to keep the Crowns public and the NDP has struggled to find traction with the issue.

Wall has been more successful at rebuffing the NDP's big-ticket campaign promise -- to cap drug costs at $15 per perscription for everyone in the province. The Saskatchewan Party's version promises a $15 cap for kids under 15 and seniors making less than $64,000.

"We've also said, like Mr. Calvert said, `Change for the sake of change isn't good enough,''' Wall said Tuesday. "You have to be offering something better.''

There are certain unknowns when it comes to change, however.

The NDP government hasn't been perfect, but people have known what they were dealing with, suggested Peter Gilmer, who works with some of the province's most downtrodden citizens through the Regina Anti-Poverty Ministry.

"We're really very concerned what direction a new government might go,'' Gilmer said. "There's a big question mark and I guess we may be sorting that out rather quickly.''

But John Hopkins, CEO of the Regina and District Chamber of Commerce, points out that both parties are pretty middle-of-the-road and radical change is not likely.

"There's always risk _ it doesn't matter which government it is,'' Hopkins said.

"We are seeing parties both trying to move toward the centre -- one from the left and one from the right -- so, at the end of the day, while there will be different focuses and nuances, we have very stable government.''