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Advance Polls

Voters who are not able to vote in their constituency on Election Day but are in their constituency during the election period can vote at an Advanced Poll on specified days before the election. According the Elections Act, 5 Advance Polling days must take place before Election Day. Check with the Returning Officer in your constituency to see where and when Advance Polls are being held.

Ballot

A document used by voters to indicate their preferences during an electoral event.

Ballot Box

A secure container for marked ballots. After marking your ballot, you will hand it to an election official who will place it in the ballot box.

Bill

A proposal which has been introduced in the legislature but has not yet been passed into law is called a Bill.

By-Election

A special election held between general elections to fill a vacant seat in the legislature. A by-election is usually held if a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) resigns and thus leaves his or her constituents without a representative in the legislature.

Candidate

Anyone whose name will appear on the ballot and for whom votes can be cast. To become a candidate you must be an eligible voter and file all paper work with the Returning Officer before the close of nominations.

Chief Electoral Officer

The individual, appointed by a resolution of the Legislative Assembly, who is responsible for the supervision and administration of the Elections Act.

Constituency

A geographic area represented by 1 MLA. Saskatchewan currently has 58 constituencies.

Constituents

The residents of a constituency and, therefore, the people represented by an MLA.

Declined Ballot

If a voter is issued a ballot and then decides not to vote, he or she can return the ballot to the election official. The ballot will be marked as “declined” and the voter will have forfeited his or her right to vote in the election.

Election Period

The period between when an election is called and Election Day. As stated in the Elections Act, this period must be between 28 and 34 days.

Elections Saskatchewan

The non-partisan organization responsible for the administration of the Election Act. It is also known as the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer.

Electoral Event

Either a general election or a by-election.

Enumeration

The process by which Elections Saskatchewan prepares a list of eligible voters. Early in the election period, enumerators will go door-to-door in every constituency collecting the names of eligible voters. If you are not enumerated, you can contact your Returning Officer to find out how to get on the Voters' List.

General Election

An election called on the same date for all constituencies in the province.

Independent

An individual who is not a representative of a political party, either as an MLA or as a candidate

Leader of the Official Opposition

The leader of the party that controls the second largest number of seats in the Legislative Assembly.

Legislative Assembly

The deliberative body comprised of the 58 elected MLAs. The Legislative Assembly meets in the Chamber of the Legislative Building in Regina.

Legislature

The deliberative body empowered to make laws in Saskatchewan. The legislature technically includes both the Legislative Assembly (where the 58 MLAs vote on laws) and the Lieutenant Governor, who must assent to each law. In practice, the Lieutenant Governor does not take part in making Saskatchewan’s laws.

Lieutenant Governor

The Queen is the legal head of state of Canada, and the Lieutenant Governor is her representative in Saskatchewan. The Constitution Act requires the Premier to formally ask the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the legislature before an election may begin.

Majority Government

A government which controls more than half of the votes in the Legislative Assembly.

Minority Government

A government which controls only a minority of the votes in the Legislative Assembly. Such governments need to form formal or informal coalitions with other parties in order to pass bills through the Legislature.

MLA

A Member of the Legislative Assembly, elected by his or her constituents to represent them in the legislature.

Nomination Deposit

Everyone seeking to become a candidate in a provincial election or by-election must leave a $100 nomination deposit in the form of a money order or certified cheque with the Returning Officer. Only the winning candidate and those candidates receiving at least half the total number of votes of the winning candidate will have their nomination deposit refunded.

Political Party

An organization that has as a primary purpose the fielding of candidates for election to the Legislative Assembly.

Poll

The physical place where you go to vote. Each constituency has many different polls.

Polling Division

For administrative reasons, each constituency is divided into smaller Polling Divisions. When you are enumerated, you will be told which Polling Division you live in and thus where you should go to vote.

Polling Day

The day on which general voting occurs, often referred to more casually as “Election Day.” FYI: Everyone is entitled to three consecutive hours to cast a vote on polling day. If your hours of employment do not allow for three consecutive hours in which to vote, your employer must allow you the additional time to vote that may be necessary to provide those three consecutive hours. These hours must be granted at the convenience of the employer.

Premier

Normally, the Premier is the leader of the party that controls the most seats in the Legislative Assembly. The Premier is the head of Saskatchewan’s government.

Rejected Ballot

A ballot marked in such a way that the voter’s intentions are unclear. For example, if the voter marks an X for more than one candidate, the ballot will be ruled “rejected.”

Returning Officer

The Chief Electoral Officer appoints a Returning Officer to oversee elections in each constituency. During an election, the Returning Officer will establish an office to which inquiries about the voting process or how to become a candidate can be directed.

Seats

Because every MLA sits at one desk in the Legislative Assembly, people often refer to a party winning a certain number of “seats” in an election. The “seat” here is a metaphor for the constituency that the person sitting in the seat represents. Thus, if Party X wins 5 constituencies, we would say that it controls 5 seats.

Spoiled Ballot

A ballot which is torn or accidentally marked by a voter is considered "spoiled." The voter may return the spoiled ballot to the poll official and receive a second ballot.

Voters' List

The list of eligible voters prepared during each election by Elections Saskatchewan. Everyone on the Voters' List is entitled to vote in the constituency in which they are listed. People not on the Voters' List may be eligible to vote, but will be asked to provide evidence of their identity and to swear out a declaration of eligibility when they arrive at the poll on Election Day.

Writ of Election

A writ is a formal summons issued by a government, court, sovereign, or other official body. The Writ of Election is the formal notice of an election issued by the Chief Electoral Officer acting on the orders of the Lieutenant Governor; it summons the electorate to vote for their candidates. The Writ decrees when general voting will take place, when advance voting will take place, when the close of nominations will occur, when the final vote count will be made, and when the Returning Officer must make the return of the writ. The government’s announcement that it intends to hold an election is sometimes referred to as “dropping the writ.”