Polls closed at 6pm, but it was already looking like Labor leader Mark McGowan, not two-term premier Colin Barnett, will be claiming victory later on Saturday night.
Mr McGowan had said on election eve that getting the 10 per cent swing needed to win the extra 10 seats to oust the two-term Barnett government was akin to climbing Mt Everest.
But opinion polls on Saturday, including a Nine/Galaxy exit poll taken of 18 seats, showed Labor would do that just.
Galaxy's David Briggs said if the swing was uniform, Labor could get an extra 17 seats, but it was likely to get at least 13.
"I think the leadership is a significant issue," he said, with Mr McGowan outpolling Premier Colin Barnett 45-33 as preferred premier.
"That's a fairly good indication that the government is on the nose."
Mr Briggs said Pauline Hanson's One Nation party was only polling six per cent across the 18 seats, which include only four from the bush.
He said it was likely One Nation would get into double figures in some outer suburban areas. It is well down from the peak of 13 per cent and the 8-9 per cent it hold been getting during the campaign.
However, the polls don't indicate what could happen in the upper house where One Nation is hoping for three seats.
WA Labor figure and former federal leader Kim Beazley said the figures spelled disaster for Senator Hanson, who is fielding around 50 candidates in election.
"If she doesn't get between the 13 and 15 per cent .... that is an absolute disaster for her and for her momentum," Mr Beazley told Nine.
It also looked like many One Nation preferences were flowing to Labor despite the infamous preference swap deal the protest party did with the Liberals.
Senator Hanson earlier on Saturday said the deal had appeared to backfire, while federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten described it as "an exploding cigar".
"I think it's actually done One Nation some damage because it's been the biggest topic for people asking about it," she told reporters.
One Nation did not field candidates in a number of Liberal-held Perth seats. Mr Barnett and Mr McGowan cast their votes earlier on Saturday morning. Outwardly, Mr Barnett was being optimistic, despite Saturday's Newspoll and ReachTEL polls showing Labor ahead of 54-46.
"I don't brace for a loss, I always prepare for a win," he told reporters after voting in his seat of Cottesloe.
One Nation leader Senator Pauline Hanson talks with a voter outside a polling station. Source: AAP
Liberal government will be ousted after two terms and Labor will be back in power come Saturday night.
Despite the stunning polls, Mr McGowan was earlier maintaining his cautious outlook.
"It's now up to the voters, but I certainly hope this evening we see a change of government because I think that's what Western Australia needs," he told reporters while voting with his family in Rockingham.
He said his team had done their "absolute best to present a good alternative to the people of Western Australia".
Across the state, almost 1.6 million people have enrolled to vote for more than 700 candidates from 16 parties.
More than 180,000 early votes and 167,500 postal vote applications had been received by Friday morning.
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