Feel like another trip to the ballot box?

After casting ballots in municipal and provincial elections in 2014, Sault voters will be heading to the polls for the next federal election in 2015.

The election is scheduled for October 19 in accordance with the Canada Elections Act.

However, some national media observers have recently suggested Prime Minister Stephen Harper may decide to go to the polls at an earlier date to increase his government's chances for re-election.

It has been speculated by some Harper may want to go to the polls before the popularity of Liberal leader Justin Trudeau grows any greater. 

"I would say Trudeau isn't getting any more popular and I would suggest the Trudeau frenzy is waning…as far as I'm concerned let it wait until October to give Trudeau more opportunity to show Canadians his inability to lead," Sault Ste. Marie MP Bryan Hayes said to SooToday.

Hayes will run for re-election in Sault Ste. Marie for the Conservatives, after being officially chosen by the party to do so last fall. 

As for an early election?

"There's been no indication there will be an early election, we haven't heard that from the Prime Minister, we haven't discussed that in our inner circles…things could change, but that's the date (October 19) as far as I'm aware of," Hayes said. 

The opposition parties, however, seem to be taking suggestions of an early election seriously.

"We have an active candidate search committee and we have heard similar rumours of an early election call. We are aiming to have a nomination meeting in February or March whether the election is on the fixed date or not," said Jim Agnew, president of the Sault Ste. Marie federal NDP riding association, in an email response to SooToday.

"We've been active since November…there was much talk about it (an early election) at the the provincial NDP convention (in November) and in fact (federal NDP Leader) Tom Mulcair has mentioned it as well," Agnew said to SooToday by telephone Monday. 

"We've approached more than one person (about running for the NDP in the Sault)," Agnew said, as the party searches for the best local candidate.

Carol Hughes, NDP member for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, told SooToday she will be running for re-election, but that her nomination will not be finalized for another month or two.

What of the Liberals? 

"We are well aware that we could have an election before October 19 and we have already been working to hold our nomination meeting in the first three months of this year, before April," said Suzanne Farrell, president of the Sault Ste. Marie and Area Federal Liberal Electoral District Association.

"I think across the country we're all expecting it…there is some interest (from potential candidates)," Farrell said.

The Liberals have already picked Heather Wilson to run as their candidate in Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing.