Feb. 10 – Saskatchewan’s 28th General Election is now just 54 days away, and many projects are entering their final stages of planning.
“We are quickly reaching the culmination of three years of planning for what will be the largest electoral event in Saskatchewan’s history,” says Dr. Michael Boda, Chief Electoral Officer of Saskatchewan. “We will have 10,000 people working at roughly 3,600 polling stations, in 61 constituencies, to serve 815,000 eligible voters this election. Those are some large numbers, and because of our planning focus the past few years, we’ll be ready to deliver.”
To vote in the April 4 provincial election you must:
- Be a Canadian citizen;
- Be at least 18 years old;
- Have lived in Saskatchewan for at least the six months before the day the election is called.
General Election Event Website:
The next time you visit our website, you will notice a slightly different home page and navigation. The institution’s website is transitioning to a more voter-centric focus from now until April 30. It remains fully responsive to the range of devices, just as our main website is today.
“The tools and information for voters are the primary focus on our website for the next three months. We want to bring the key voter information to the forefront, such as finding where to vote, what constituency you are in, the list of acceptable ID and all the ways to vote. And information for our other key stakeholders—workers, candidates, political parties and media—is still easily found on our site,” says Dr. Boda.
Media Newsroom on Website:
News media will notice an enhanced media newsroom section of our website. Here reporters, editors, bloggers and others can find useful information and tools such as:
- All news releases during the pre-writ and writ periods;
- Photo gallery with unique Elections Saskatchewan-produced photography of simulated voting, warehouse materials and more for media to download and use in publications, newsletters and websites;
- The 27-to-34 day election calendar of events for the April 4 election;
- Print, radio, TV and other Elections Saskatchewan advertising;
- FAQs of common questions around advertising and election rules.
Online Constituency Finder Tool:
We have created a banner for media to place on their websites that links visitors to a tool on our website that allows citizens to look up constituency information. Once the writs of election are issued, this banner will be updated to a “Where to Vote” tool that displays information about a voter’s specific voting locations, dates and times.
Have your website manager go to www.elections.sk.ca/resource-centre/web-resources and follow the two simple steps to add this banner and link to your website.
Take Part:
Working a provincial election is a great way to reconnect with friends, build your resume, contribute to your community, and get paid. We need 10,000 non-partisan individuals to fill essential roles in our returning offices and voting locations.
“These front-line workers are essential to conducting a successful election. Whether you can offer a day, a week or a month, we encourage everyone to get involved and experience an election not just as a voter, but as an election worker,” says Dr. Boda.
Anyone interested in serving as an election worker can express their interest by signing up at www.elections.sk.ca/takepart, or calling 1-877-958-8683. It takes just a minute to leave us your name and contact information.
Voters Guide:
An important part of delivering a general election is ensuring that voters have all the information they need, in their chosen language, and in the format they prefer. With that in mind, the Saskatchewan Voters Guide for the April 4, 2016 Provincial Election is now available on our website.
“This guide answers questions about the voting process, who can vote, where and when to vote, and what ID you’ll need to bring to the voting place. It’s available in multiple languages and in an audio version. An abbreviated version with the essential details of voting will be distributed to all eligible voters in Saskatchewan at the same time that we deliver each individual Voter Information Card (VIC), shortly after the writ drops in early March,” says Dr. Boda.
Elections Saskatchewan is the province’s independent, impartial, professional election management body. Given a mandate from the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, it organizes, manages and oversees provincial electoral events, including the April 4, 2016 general election. Information for voters, workers, media, candidates and parties at www.elections.sk.ca.
For more information contact:
Tim Kydd
Senior Director
Communications & Outreach
Elections Saskatchewan
[email protected]
(306) 787-7355