To qualify to be registered as a voter in a provincial election event in Saskatchewan, the standard eligibility rules are:
- Canadian citizen;
- Minimum 18 years of age;
- Resident in the province for a minimum of six months; and
- Ordinarily reside at the current address of residence.
However, there are certain persons who are exempted from meeting all of these criteria. Exceptions exist for:
- Students;
- Canadian military personnel;
- British Subjects who resided in the province at a specific period of time; and
- Election candidates.
Students who have moved from outside the province to study in Saskatchewan are immediately eligible to vote in provincial elections, provided they are Canadian citizens and at least 18 years of age. They are not required to have resided in the province for six months.
Students who have been living in Saskatchewan, but have moved to attend a school away from where they have been living, are permitted to register either at the:
- Residential address from which they moved; or at the
- Address of the location where they currently live while studying.
However, each student can only be registered at one address of residence — it is their own personal choice as to which address that should be.
Special Rules for Canadian Forces
Any members of the regular, special or reserve force of the Canadian Forces, who leaves another province or territory to serve in Saskatchewan, immediately becomes eligible to register and vote in provincial elections, provided they are Canadian citizens and at least 18 years of age. They are not required to have resided in the province for six months.
Members of the Canadian Forces who are required to leave their residence in Saskatchewan to serve outside the province are permitted to remain registered as a provincial voter at the address where they resided before moving.
If a Canadian Forces member residing in one location in Saskatchewan is required to relocate and serve within the Forces at another location in the province, they made decide which location they wish to be registered at for the purposes of voting. However, each member of the Forces may only be registered as a provincial voter at one address of residence.
In each of the three cases above, if a spouse or the dependents of a Forces member moves with that member they are legally provided the same voter registration flexibility that applies to the Forces member.
Special Rules for British Subjects
A non-Canadian, who is a British Subject and who was qualified as a Saskatchewan provincial voter on June 23, 1971 (that is, they were born on or before June 23, 1953 and resided in the province since or before December 23, 1970) is permitted to register as a provincial voter. However, they must declare their non-Canadian British Subject status at the time of registration.
A British Subject is defined as a person who is a citizen of any other Commonwealth country. There are 56 member states in the Commonwealth of Nations.
Special Rules for Election Candidates
A candidate for a provincial election, or the spouse or dependents of that candidate, can choose to be registered:
- At the address in which ordinarily live, or
- In any polling division in the constituency in which the candidate is contesting the election.
Taking the option of registering in a particular polling division within a constituency in which the candidate is running can only be exercised once the candidate’s nomination papers have been accepted by the Returning Officer. This does not happen until Nomination Day, which is a full ten days after the election period officially starts.
