Elections Saskatchewan (ESK) is the province’s impartial, independent, election management body. Given a mandate from the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, it organizes, manages and oversees provincial electoral events, including the provinces upcoming General Election, scheduled, by legislation, for October 28, 2024.
A general election starts when the Premier advises the Lieutenant Governor that he or she wishes for the Legislature to be dissolved. The Lieutenant Governor considers the request and, if it is approved, an Order in Council is passed and a Proclamation is issued that fixes the date of the writ, nomination day, the dates of voting, and the date of the return to the writ. There is a minimum of 27 days before the last day of voting may be held.
After the Order is passed, the Chief Electoral Officer issues the actual writs of election and sends one to each Returning Officer. Within five days of the date of the writ, each Returning Officer must then issue a proclamation listing times, dates, and locations of voting and must post it in the Returning Office. The proclamation will also be posted publicly.
The Legislative Assembly Act, 2007 requires that a provincial general election be held in Saskatchewan on the last Monday of October in the fourth calendar year after the previous general election. This means that next general election in Saskatchewan is scheduled to be held on October 28, 2024.
The Legislative Act, 2007 requires a provincial election to be held on the last Monday of October every four years. But at the same time, it also states that the election period for our election cannot overlap with the election period for a federal election. So, if a federal election were to be called before our election, and the election periods were to overlap, then the provincial election would be postponed. In that case, our provincial election would be moved from October 28, 2024 to April 7, 2025.
In general elections, everyone is an eligible voter who:
Also, individuals are eligible to vote who are British subjects that were qualified as a voter on June 23, 1971, and meet the residency requirements stated above.
When an eligible voter registers, they must certify that they are a citizen of Canada. When voting, everyone must show identification to prove that they are a registered voter or they must register at the time of voting. Further, when voting by mail, they must additionally complete another declaration about their citizenship on the “certificate envelope” in which they submit their ballot.
Elections Saskatchewan also compares its register data with that of Elections Canada who has a data sharing agreement with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that allows them to remove any non-citizens from the Register. If an individual who is not eligible to vote knowingly does so, that would be a corrupt practice under The Election Act, 1996 and could face penalties including a monetary fine or prison time.
Anyone can check or update their registration status online here: elections.sk.ca/voters/register-to-vote/ or by calling 1-877-958-8683.
Electoral events in Saskatchewan require thousands of individuals throughout the province. From returning officers and returning office staff to election workers in over 1,300 locations across the province. For more information and to apply online, see elections.sk.ca/workers/.
While the Legislative Assembly ultimately determines the provincial constituency boundaries, it does so based on the recommendation of the Saskatchewan Constituency Boundaries Commission that must be established every ten years. The most recent commission was established in 2022 and new boundaries will be in effect for the 2024 General Election.
The boundaries for the constituencies south of the dividing line (i.e. excluding the two northern constituency) themselves are determined in accordance with The Constituency Boundaries Act, 1993 which reads in part:
A commission shall ensure that the population of each proposed constituency is, as nearly as possible, equal to the constituency population quotient. A commission may depart from the requirements above where, in its opinion, it is necessary to do so because of:
A commission shall ensure that the population of each constituency south of the dividing line remains within 5%, either more or less, of the constituency population quotient.
Further information on the 2022 Saskatchewan Constituency Boundaries Commission including their reports can be found here: www.saskboundaries.ca
Under Section 231 of The Election Act, 1996, the Chief Electoral Officer maintains a register of political parties in Saskatchewan. To be registered, parties must submit the signatures of 2,500 voters, 1,000 of whom must reside in at least 10 different constituencies (minimum of 100 electors in each). Once registered under the Act, a political party is entitled to incur expenses, solicit and receive contributions, participate in the province’s political contributions tax credit regime, and to field candidates for election to the Legislative Assembly.
Registered political parties in an election/by-election year are also entitled, where eligible, to receive reimbursement of a portion of lawfully incurred election expenses.
There are currently seven registered political parties in Saskatchewan:
There is no cost to being a nominated candidate in an election, however a deposit of $500 is required under Section 46 of The Election Act, 1996. That deposit is returned once the candidate complies with the political finance regulations outlined in Section 261.
Vote by mail is a convenient, safe, and secure alternative to voting in person. For more information and to apply, please see here: https://www.elections.sk.ca/voters/votebymail/
The Election Act, 1996 allows the following persons to be present in the polling place during the time that it remains open for voting:
The Election Act, 1996 allows for those who are unable to vote at a voting location due to a disability to vote as a homebound voter. If you feel this applies to you, please contact your returning officer after the election has been called to see if you qualify.
Under The Condominium Property Act, 1993 and The Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, candidates have a right of access to these properties. For more information and the appropriate forms, see here: elections.sk.ca/candidates-political-parties/forms-and-guides/
The Election Act, 1996 requires the Chief Electoral Officer to provide an electronic copy of the voters’ list for a constituency to:
Elections Saskatchewan is committed to protecting the privacy of all voters in Saskatchewan. To that end, registered political parties and candidates must sign strict information sharing agreements before they gain access to the list. The agreements specify that the data
Any registered political party that obtains 15 percent or more of the valid votes cast across the province, and whose chief official agent files a return of election expenses, is entitled to receive a reimbursement of 50 percent of its eligible election expenses up to the statutory limit. For the 2024 general election, the limit is $1,224,052.
Any candidate that obtains 15 percent or more of the total valid votes cast in their constituency, and whose business manager files a return of election expenses before the legislated deadline, is entitled to receive a public reimbursement of 60 percent of their election expenses to a limit of $94,665 for the constituencies of Athabasca and Cumberland and $71,001 for all other constituencies.
Further information can be found here: elections.sk.ca/candidates-political-parties/electoral-finance/
While there are no limits on the amount that can be donated to either candidates or political parties, no anonymous donations exceeding $250 may be accepted by a registered political party or candidate.
Students who live at an educational institution have two options for voting. They may either vote in the constituency where they resided immediately prior to living at the educational institution or they may vote in the constituency where the educational institution is located.
No pictures or video may be taken inside a voting location without the permission of the Chief Electoral Officer. And no one is permitted under any circumstances to take any pictures of their ballot or share it on social media.
If you have any questions during the process of voting, an election worker can help. Further, if you require assistance marking your ballot, you can either bring a friend or a deputy returning officer can assist.
Every employee who is a voter is entitled, while the polling places are open for voting during the polling period, to three consecutive hours on any single day when voting occurs during the polling period for the purpose of casting his or her vote. While the employer may not deduct any amounts from the pay of any employee granted these hours, the hours must be granted at the convenience of the employer.