October 16, 2014 – A by-election will be held on November 13, 2014 to elect a member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for the constituency of Lloydminster.
In between general elections, a by-election is held to replace an MLA who has left the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan before the end of their term. This happened in the constituency of Lloydminster in September 2014.
“One of our top responsibilities as Saskatchewan’s election management body is to maintain a state of readiness for electoral events,” says Dr. Michael Boda, Saskatchewan’s Chief Electoral Officer and head of Elections Saskatchewan, the provincial election management body.
“While our head office and field leadership team will continue preparing for Saskatchewan’s 28th General Election, scheduled for November 2, 2015, we look forward to conducting a by-election in Lloydminster on behalf of the people of Saskatchewan.”
Residents of the constituency of Lloydminster are eligible to vote if they are:
• At least 18 years of age on Thursday, November 13, 2014;
• A Canadian citizen;
• A Saskatchewan resident for at least the six months before Thursday, October 16, 2014;
• Ordinarily a resident of the constituency of Lloydminster, and
• A British subject who was qualified as a voter on June 23, 1971.
Voters can vote at their assigned voting place (polling station) in the constituency of Lloydminster from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, November 13, 2014. This information will be mailed to households in the constituency following the enumeration and prior to by-election day.
If an eligible voter is unable to vote in person on November 13, 2014, they can vote:
• At any advance voting place in the constituency of Lloydminster from Thursday, November 6, 2014 to Monday, November 10, 2014. Check here over the coming week for locations and times, and
• As an absentee voter by mail. Applications are available here or at the local returning office, 4417-50th Avenue, Lloydminster, Saskatchewan. The last day to receive absentee voter applications is November 5, 2014.
A door-to-door enumeration will begin in the constituency of Lloydminster on October 17, 2014. Voters answer a few questions regarding eligibility such as date of birth and citizenship and are then added to the voters list. If an enumerator misses a voter, a “Sorry we missed you card” is left in their mailbox with instructions on how to get added to the list.
Further details about advance voting, a list of candidates, ID requirements and other by-election specifics can be found here. A voters guide will be delivered by enumerators to all households in the constituency of Lloydminster.
New constituencies announced in 2013 do not come into effect until the next provincial election. Until then, the current constituency and polling division boundaries remain in effect for any by-elections that may occur, including the by-election for Lloydminster.
In addition, while changes to The Election Act, 1996 are being made in preparation for the upcoming general election, the Lloydminster by-election will be conducted according to legislation that was in place for the 2011 General Election in Saskatchewan because the Act has not yet been proclaimed.
The last by-election held in Saskatchewan was October 18, 2010 in the constituency of Saskatoon Northwest.
According to legislation, the next provincial election will be held on November 2, 2015. If there is a conflict with a federal election at that time, according to legislation, the date of the provincial general election moves to April 4, 2014.
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.
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For more information contact:
Tim Kydd
Senior Director, Outreach & Policy
Elections Saskatchewan
306.537.9211
[email protected]