It's a big month for Ararat's James Mullin.
The 18-year-old has just resurfaced from the maze of study, stress, and sleep that is the VCE exam period.
But now another big day is fast approaching.
He will vote for the first time on Saturday.
Education — specifically the shortage and wellbeing of teachers — will be the issue that decides Mr Mullin's vote, having witnessed firsthand the impacts of burnout and understaffing in his final years at school.
"Teachers have had a much greater workload than anticipated, and the effects of COVID haven't really worn off the Education Department," he says.
The candidates have reason to pay close attention to his concerns, and those of every other voter.
Just 15 votes separated the two major candidates in Ararat's state seat of Ripon at the last state election.
The view from both sides
Mr Mullin finished his studies at a Ballarat private boarding school but spent his middle school years in public education at Ararat College, where his mother still works.
He noted the different levels of resourcing and opportunities available to young people in public and private education.
But he says one thing common to both systems is the staff are at breaking point after the pandemic.
"We still have teachers that, if they get sick, are away for a week in case it's COVID," he says.
"It means a lot of staff are having to take on roles they are not necessarily suited to, so there is more stress overall.
"Fewer teachers means more workloads for the teachers who are still there, meaning they need more days away [when they get their break] meaning fewer teachers … it's a bit of a cycle."
Mr Mullin is yet to see a policy that he thinks will address these problems.
"A lot of students are finding we're getting ads from the state government saying 'education is a such a great thing to do, you should study it at university'," he says.
"But there is no incentive to do it, no subsidies, they are just saying 'go do this because we need 4,000 teachers now'.
"If you say you will pay for half of a teaching degree, people will want to do it and ease the stress on current teachers in a pretty dire situation."
Mr Mullin says he expects his fellow first-time voters in Ripon to also make their decisions based on education policy.
"A lot of us have seen how teachers have really gone above and beyond for students recently, preparing classes for school and at home," he says.
"To see them not be rewarded for that outstanding service is a bit disappointing."
The playing field
Louise Staley holds Ripon for the Liberals but is facing a challenge from Labor's Martha Haylett.
There are nine candidates overall for the seat, including two independents.
Ripon is a smaller electorate this election compared to last, and less rural.
A redistribution last year resulted in it losing 391 voters to surrounding rural areas.
It lost more than 5,600 voters to Lowan, and more than 2,200 to Mildura.
At the same time, nearly 6,000 voters from the north-west Ballarat electorate of Eureka (formerly Buninyong) were moved into Ripon, as were 1,100 from Wendouree.
The changes make the seat notionally Labor — that is, if the 2018 election results are applied to the new geographic area.
Excited to have an impact
Invermay mother-of-three Anna Harris is among the voters moved into Ripon for this election.
Dr Harris is also a GP in the nearby towns of Creswick and Clunes.
She came back to her birthplace to work and raise her boys after 13 years in Melbourne.
"In 2018, it felt like a bit of a run-of-the-mill election … it was a fairly safe Liberal seat we were living in at the time," she says.
"There wasn't much sway we could have in that space.
"Having had the recent history we'd had in Victoria, it feels like there are more issues up for grabs, the budget is tighter and there are more health issues."
Dr Harris says the thought of her vote having a much bigger impact on the outcome at this election is "nerve-wracking" and "invigorating".
"Given the realm I work in, we see the needs there for GPs, wider healthcare, and paramedics," she says.
"I feel like this is actually a good chance for us to have a say and make some change, so I'm excited about that."
Like Mr Mullin, Dr Harris wants the next government to focus on workers as much as it focuses on infrastructure.
'The bloody roads'
Both candidates were out at pre-polling in Maryborough this week, Ripon's second-largest town halfway between Ballarat and Bendigo.
Rodney Stevens voted for the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers.
He says the number one issue for the area is "the bloody roads".
"Potholes on the road between here and Dunolly are about [30 centimetres] deep, some of them," he says.
"They need to be fixed, and all they are worried about is the [Metro] tunnel in Melbourne and not the people out here.
"That's why I don't want to vote for [the current government]."
Labor candidate Ms Haylett says, as of Monday, about 40 per cent of Ripon has already voted.
Ms Haylett and Ms Staley say health and the cost of living are common issues among voters they speak to.
