Tony Abbott believes the coalition remains in a "winnable" position, even though the Liberal Party's hold on several NSW seats is in serious doubt.
Among them is the former prime minister's northern Sydney electorate of Warringah, which - despite holding a 11 per cent margin - is under threat from independent and Olympian Zali Steggall.
Mr Abbott admitted to feeling nervous as he cast his vote on Saturday morning, lamenting the "nasty" path the election campaign had taken.
A hollowed-out book with faeces inside was left outside Mr Abbott's electorate earlier in May, while on Friday night one of his volunteers was allegedly stabbed with a corkscrew.
"We've seen a lot of low blows," he told reporters outside Forestville Public School.
"At one stage they sank into the gutter and then they went literally into the sewer."
Ms Steggall, meanwhile, has been riding a wave of discontent with Mr Abbott and has campaigned hard on the issue of climate change.
After kissing her ballot paper and casting her vote, the former champion skier and lawyer distanced herself from the latest violent incident.
"We have tried very hard not to engage in the dirty tactics," she told reporters.
"There has been a lot thrown at me but we have tried to stay above all that and deliver something positive."
The latest Ipsos survey has put Labor ahead of the coalition 51-49 in two-party terms in NSW, compared to the 50-50 result at the 2016 election.
The final Newspoll of the campaign has Labor ahead of the coalition 51.5 to 48.5.
Mr Abbott said Scott Morrison had done a "wonderful job" as leader since deposing Malcolm Turnbull in August.
"While we haven't yet won certainly we are in a winnable position going into the final decision day of the campaign," he said.
An upbeat Dave Sharma believes voter anger has subsided after Mr Turnbull's "traumatic" dumping in the seat of Wentworth, which was wrestled from the Liberals by independent Kerryn Phelps at the October by-election.
Mr Sharma was all smiles as he arrived at Paddington Public School with his wife and two girls, but said he won't be taking anything for granted.
"It's going to be a close race here I think, every vote will count so I'm just going to vote myself here," he told reporters.
After voting at Bondi Beach Public School, Dr Phelps made a final pitch to both angry voters and otherwise.
She expects to lose some support from traditional Liberal voters who temporarily changed their colours in October, but has put her faith in a strong youth vote.
"There are more people now who are very concerned about the lurch of the Liberal party to the right," she said.
The marginal seat of Lindsay in Sydney's west is one of the few Labor-held seats the Liberals believe they have a strong chance of reclaiming after Emma Husar announced she would quit following allegations she mistreated staff.
The ALP holds Lindsay by a margin of just one per cent after Ms Husar took the seat off Liberal Fiona Scott in 2016.
Labor pre-selected former state politician Diane Beamer, who is up against Liberal Melissa McIntosh.
The Australian Electoral Commission said no issues with voting had been reported in NSW.
"It's going smoothly ... we're quite happy," spokesman Keith Eaton told AAP.
