29th Electoral Cycle Communique for Chief Official Agents Issue Thirteen

Legislative Amendments, Briefing on Phase I of Modernization & Season’s Greetings

The Election Amendment Act, 2018

Earlier this month, Bill 166, The Election Amendment Act, 2018, was introduced, and passed in the Legislative Assembly, making important changes to Saskatchewan’s election legislation. I have attached a copy of the Bill to this Communique (an updated version of The Election Act, 1996 is not yet available from Publications Saskatchewan) but I will briefly outline some of the contents here:

• Advance voting modernization, as envisioned in Volume IV of A Report on the Twenty-Eighth General Election will now be possible as new language allows the Chief Electoral Officer the authority to modify advance voting in accordance with the plans outlined in that report;
• The Chief Electoral Officer will now have the legislative authority to conduct pilot projects in both by-elections and during general elections.
• The Chief Electoral Officer’s ability to table documents has been clarified and strengthened;
• The definition of “contribution” no longer includes loans “provided by a financial institution unless the loan is forgiven or written off” or financial guarantees that are “provided based on standard commercial terms.”
• Finally, the Chief Electoral Officer is now required to advise returning officers of a candidate’s right to access apartment and condo buildings, and if requested, returning officers will provide confirmation of this right to any third parties.

My office will be examining the impact of these legislative amendments over the coming months and will offer clarity and further information to registered political parties as needed.

Plans for Modernization, Phase I – January 30 Briefing

As detailed above, legislative authority to introduce technology at advance polls is now in place. This was a key step in Phase I of our modernization plans and allows Elections Saskatchewan to move forward and make solid plans for the coming years.

In the interests of ensuring our registered political party stakeholders are informed of our progress, we would like to host Chief Official Agents at our office here in Regina on January 30 beginning at 12 noon. We will start with lunch and then move into a briefing afterwards. I will be in touch in the new year with additional details.

Season’s Greetings

Finally, I wanted to take the opportunity to offer season’s greetings, a Merry Christmas and a happy new year! Every calendar year takes us further away from our last general election and closer to the next, but it also brings unique challenges and opportunities, both personal and professional.  At Elections Saskatchewan, we have genuinely enjoyed the opportunity to serve all of you—our stakeholders—this past year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan