Advance Voting Begins Tomorrow
Advance Voting
Advance voting begins tomorrow at three locations throughout the constituency. All advance locations are open from 12 noon to 8 p.m.
You are aware that we are offering a modernized advance voting process for this by-election. For this by-election, our election officials will be using computers to check voters in and to strike them off the voters list. This will facilitate our sharing of real time strike-off data with candidates and registered political parties.
Here are a few things to be aware of when it comes to advance voting and the sharing of data:
This is an exciting test for Elections Saskatchewan. It represents a real step forward in voting process modernization. Several of our head office team members, including me, will be in Saskatoon during parts of the advance voting period to observe voting and the modernized processes in action. All observers will have a name tag identifying them as such and will also have a letter from my office authorizing them to be inside the voting location.
Should you, your candidates, or their representatives have any issues, questions or concerns during advance voting, those should first be raised with the Supervisory Deputy Returning Officer that will be on site. If they cannot be resolved at that level, you can contact the Returning Officer or you can reach out to Jennifer Colin or Aaron Thompson at our head office for resolution.
Finally, just two reminders for your candidate representatives. First, all candidate representatives must be appointed using the E-417 form and have this form with them when they visit voting locations. Second, the E-418 Guide for Candidate Representatives provides instructions on what they can, and cannot do in a voting location, including locations where technology has been deployed. Please ensure your candidates are aware of this guide and make it available to their candidate representatives. It can be found online at https://www.elections.sk.ca/candidates-political-parties/forms-and-guides/.
Vote by Mail Update
Just a short update on Vote by Mail, registration for which closed on Thursday, September 15. We received 270 applications, a decrease from the 1,504 Saskatoon Meewasin had in 2020, but a significant increase from the number of absentee voters in the constituency in 2016.
Moving forward, we will increasingly highlight Vote by Mail as an important voting option as we seek to expand the avenues available to voters to cast their ballot. Clearly there is demand for it, even though concerns around COVID-19 are perhaps less than they were in October 2020. I expect that, come 2024, Vote by Mail will again be a popular option for some voters to participate and I anticipate continuing to promote and advertise its availability.
Revised Voters List
A revised voters list has been placed onto the download portal for all parties and candidates that have signed Data Sharing Agreements. Please contact Jordan Arendt, Director of IT, at [email protected] if you have questions.
Fiscal Period Returns
And in one piece of non-by-election related news, we have posted 2021 registered political party fiscal period returns with a status of “As Reviewed” to our website. They can be found here: https://www.elections.sk.ca/reports-data/candidate-political-party-finances/fiscal-period-returns/. All contribution information has now been added to the Contribution Search Tool as well.
Thank you again, and all the best as in-person voting begins tomorrow. Please know that we are here to serve you and your candidates and do not hesitate to reach out with questions or issues.
Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan
All information related to the Meewasin By-Election can be found online at www.elections.sk.ca/saskatoonmeewasin2022.