It has been a busy Easter weekend for my team here at Elections Saskatchewan, with many last minute details being finalized before advance polls open at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29. Here are a few brief updates. I expect I will be in contact next with you on Monday with a few final items before polls open Tuesday afternoon.
Changes to Polling Locations
Inevitably, polling locations will change between the beginning of the writ period (when locations are finalized and made public on Voter Information Cards and proclamations) and when voting occurs. This is not out of the ordinary during an election for a jurisdiction of our size. Affected voters have been notified with a letter (where necessary) and as, I have communicated with you in the past, other appropriate controls will be put in place to ensure voters are aware of the changes and do not attend the wrong location to vote. Attached is a list of polling locations (Version 1.0) that have been changed, amended or updated to date.
Going forward, we will be adding all polling location changes and updates to our website at www.elections.sk.ca/locationchanges.
Voter Registration – Pre-Election Numbers
At 7 p.m. on Wednesday, voter registration and revision ended for the coming election. 750,893 voters are on the Revised List that was made available to you today. This represents 92 percent of the province’s estimated 815,000 eligible voters – at this same point in the election calendar in 2011, we had about 76 percent of eligible voters registered. This means more Voter Information Cards in the hands of potential voters, a better quality list for you and your candidates and better information with which we can use to create and staff our polls.
As you all know, anyone who is not registered can still vote by completing the registration process at the time of voting. Registering at the polls may make the voting process slightly longer, but is still a viable option for anyone who is not on the list.
Electoral Finance – Expense Exception Limits – Final Numbers
Throughout the writ period, I have been providing you updates on expense limit exceptions in a number of constituencies throughout the province. With the close of revision and the production of the Revised List, I can now provide final expense numbers for these constituencies. It remains the responsibility of the candidate to ensure they do not exceed these limits. We will notify all candidates in each of the six constituencies of the expense limit changes.
| Constituency | Number of Electors | Amount per Voter | Calculated Expense Limit | Over Standard Limit |
| CUMBERLAND | 13,326 | $7.71 | $102,743 | $25,355 |
| MARTENSVILLE-WARMAN | 15,066 | $3.88 | $58,456 | $413 |
| REGINA PASQUA | 15,078 | $3.88 | $58,503 | $460 |
| REGINA ROCHDALE | 15,744 | $3.88 | $61,087 | $3,044 |
| SASKATOON STONEBRIDGE-DAKOTA | 15,215 | $3.88 | $59,034 | $991 |
| SASKATOON WILLOWGROVE | 15,295 | $3.88 | $59,345 | $1,302 |
We will all (both here at Elections Saskatchewan and in your own parties) be increasingly busy as voting begins. That said, do not hesitate to be in contact with Jennifer Colin or myself with questions or concerns. Wishing you the best over this holiday weekend.