November 30, 2017. Please see information below on the release of two volumes offering further insight on the conduct of the 2016 Provincial Election, filing of returns by candidates, and voters lists for pending by-elections.
Release of Volume II and Volume III in CEO’s Report on Twenty-Eighth General Election
I am happy to report that Volumes II and III in my Report on the Twenty-Eighth General Election were both released this week. On Monday, I tabled Volume II, Administrative Review with the Legislative Assembly – a volume that looks at Elections Saskatchewan’s conduct of the election and includes data provided by some of you in interviews with Dr. Michael Atkinson as well as survey data collected from your candidates and their business managers.
Earlier today, I tabled Volume III, Statement of Expenditures with the Legislative Assembly. This document provides insights on the financial costs of the election, including reimbursements to parties and candidates as well as our own costs of administering the event. For the first time, these costs have been compiled over an entire four-year cycle, reflecting the actual cost of a provincial election rather than those accumulated during the election period. Saskatchewan is one of the few jurisdictions in the country that have switched to this method of accounting, but I believe others will transition in coming years as it is consistent with electoral best practice.
We will be mailing hard copies to your office within the next few days, but you can also view the volumes on our website at elections.sk.ca.
Pending By-Elections – Candidate Return Filing
As you all know, Elections Saskatchewan will be administering a number of by-elections in the coming months (constituencies of Kindersley, Melfort and Swift Current).
Moving forward, for these pending by-elections and for all other future electoral events, we will require business managers to submit their candidate’s return of election expenses using our online ELMS tool. We received positive feedback from those business managers and candidates who used this system during past electoral events and believe this will mean efficiencies for us at Elections Saskatchewan, improve the general quality of all returns, and make it easier for business managers to complete this important work.
If you have questions, please contact Jennifer Colin at 306.787.4061. We very much appreciate your cooperation as work to improve the administration of elections in Saskatchewan.
Pending By-Elections – Voters Lists
One more note for future elections: We will be asking your candidates and their representatives to contact their local returning office in advance if they would like a printed copy of the voters list. This will save resources by not printing copies of the list which are not used and also help ensure your representatives do not need to wait while a list is printed for them. We will issue reminders on this before each specific event, but I wanted to offer some advance notice for you.
Save the Date – Annual Meeting, June 12, 2018
Finally, we have tentatively booked June 12, 2018 as the next date for the annual meeting between Elections Saskatchewan and the province’s registered political parties. Please add this date to your calendars for next year. Our plan is to host this meeting at Government House here in Regina. We will, of course, offer a reminder closer to the date.
I look forward to speaking with all of you at the next available opportunity. If, for some reason, I do not make formal contact with you again within the next month, I would also like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan