The advisory group offers the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) an opportunity to receive public health advice from the Chief Medical Health Officer on the viability of conducting a provincial general election on October 26, given the likely presence of Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). It also affords Government and Opposition House Leaders an opportunity to hear this advice and provide further comments. The group’s first meeting was held the week of June 1 – a news release issued after that meeting can be found here.

“This second meeting built on the first in terms of understanding the COVID-19 situation in Saskatchewan and how it could affect our scheduled election,” said Dr. Michael Boda, Chief Electoral Officer of Saskatchewan. “I am pleased with the progress we are making, and I believe that I will be in position to make a recommendation on the viability of an October 26 election to the Lieutenant Governor in Council by early to mid-September.”

The group is not a decision-making body, but one mechanism that will inform the public recommendation the Chief Electoral Officer has committed to provide in September on the viability of calling the election for the time set in legislation. The recommendation will be based on public health advice received from the Chief Medical Health Officer and further informed by feedback from key stakeholders, including voters, political party participants, and the more than 12,000 election officials required to conduct a general election.

The Electoral Advisory Group consists of:

• Michael Boda, Saskatchewan’s Chief Electoral Officer;
• Saqib Shahab, the Province’s Chief Medical Health Officer;
• The Honourable Jeremy Harrison, Government House Leader; and
• Cathy Sproule, Opposition House Leader.

The group’s next meeting is scheduled to take place in August.

Elections Saskatchewan (ESK) is the province’s nonpartisan election management body and an independent office of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. ESK directs and supervises the administration of provincial electoral events, including the 2020 provincial election.

Information for voters, workers, media, candidates and parties at www.elections.sk.ca.

For more information contact:

Tim Kydd
Senior Director, Outreach & Communications
Elections Saskatchewan
306.537.9211
[email protected]

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ELMS Update

We are continuing to expand the capabilities of ELMS, our online filing application, to better serve registered political  parties, candidates and auditors. The next module to be developed will allow registered political parties to complete and submit their annual fiscal period return through ELMS. We plan to make this available in time for next spring’s annual return deadline

If you would like to be involved in this project or if you have feedback or ideas that you would like to see in this module, I hope that you will be in touch with Jennifer Colin, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, at [email protected] or 306.787.4061.       

I also wanted to remind you that all registered political parties will be required to use ELMS to complete and file their election return. We’ll be happy to assist you through this process.

Business Manager Training

Elections Saskatchewan is planning to offer training for interested business managers in advance of the coming election. Given the current circumstances, we will be exploring a variety of delivery and training methods. Please feel free to share ideas and thoughts to Jennifer Colin on how we can best meet the training needs of your candidates’ business managers.

Annual Returns – Reminder

On March 20, I let you know that due to ongoing restrictions and interruptions caused by COVID-19, registered political parties would not be required to submit audited annual returns by the Thursday, April 30, 2020 deadline. I want to remind you, however, that parties must still scan and email a completed annual return before Thursday, April 30, even if the audit has not yet been completed.

Once normal business resumes, your return must be audited, and a copy, along with all supporting documentation, must be provided to us. No unaudited returns will be posted online – a message has been placed on our website letting the public know that we have extended the deadline for the filing of audited returns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Again, if you have questions, please be in touch with Jennifer.

I hope that you are well in what are proving to be challenging times. I will continue to communicate with you through these Communiques over the coming months as needed but if you have questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to be in touch with me directly. I would be very happy to speak with you.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan           

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Interpretation Bulletin – Advertising on the Internet

You will know that my office has been working on a variety of Interpretation Bulletins and CEO Directives to offer increased clarity and understanding of our legislation and processes in advance of the next election. While we will distributing most of these over the coming months, there is one that may have an impact on your planning for next year, so I wanted to provide it to you as soon as possible.

Attached is ESKIB-2019/03 Advertising on the Internet. This bulletin has an impact on the types of advertising expenses which are subject to the registered political party annual limit and which must be reported on your RPP annual return. In certain circumstances, you will be required to include advertising costs associated with YouTube, Facebook or other social media platforms if they meet the definition of a “broadcast.” This interpretation bulletin will also be available on our website at https://www.elections.sk.ca/candidates-political-parties/bulletins-circulars/.  

If you have questions or comments, please contact Jennifer Colin, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer (306.787.4061 or [email protected]).

Polling Division Review Update

A comprehensive review of polling divisions used in the last general election has been a key project for our team over the past six months. I am really pleased with the success of the project to-date. In terms of numbers, 52 percent of polling divisions used in the last election have been altered with the bulk of the changes being made in rural constituencies.

Province-wide, there will be 210 fewer polling divisions in use during the next election. One key goal was to reduce travel time for voters and, based on our calculations, we have reduced the total overall distance voters will have to travel by 110,000 kms and reduced travel time by over five minutes in some constituencies. I believe that these changes will have a significant impact on voter travel times and voter convenience.

Shape files for the new polling divisions will be published by the end of the calendar year. New maps reflecting the changes will be available to registered political parties in early 2020.

CEO Directive Review

As we have been doing with interpretation bulletins, I would like to share a number of CEO Directives with you for comment. Attached you will find seven directives for your review. They are:

• Authorized By on Social Media
• CEODIR-2018-001 – Goods and Supplies from Previous Elections
• CEODIR-2018-002 Goods Purchased but Not Used
• CEODIR-2018-004 Expenses Incurred Outside of Election Period
• CEODIR-2018-005 Donations in Kind of $200 or Less
• Crowdfunding for Collection of Political Contributions
• Cryptocurrency

Please note that these directives are still in draft form and may change in content (based on your feedback), format and numbering/sequence. Following your review and subsequent revisions (if needed), my office will finalize these and provide them to you in the same manner as the earlier-referenced Interpretation Bulletin. Should you have questions, please contact Jennifer at the information listed above. If you have feedback, please provide it by October 15, 2019. 

Thanks for your attention to these important matters. I look forward to working with you more closely over the coming year as we all prepare for the next provincial general election.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan

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“Save the Date” – AVSM Update July 17

Earlier this week, at our annual meeting, I mentioned that Elections Saskatchewan would be hosting its second briefing for registered political parties on its plans for advance voting services modernization (AVSM) this summer. I would like to ask all of you to save the date and time of Wednesday, July 17 from 3:30 p.m. to about 5 p.m. for this event. Afterwards, should your schedules allow, I am hopeful that we can find some time for an informal gathering outside our office.

The purpose of this meeting will for my team to provide you with an update, as well as a bit of a “show and tell,” on where plans are at in terms of modernization. We have made substantial progress since we last met in January and I am looking forward to showing you where we are at. While I would always prefer to host you all in-person, we will explore whether it will be possible for people to join remotely. This may not be ideal for all parts of the meeting given that some of it may be interactive, but we will see what can be done. More details will be provided closer to the event. If you are planning to attend in person, please RSVP to my assistant, Joan Kuhn at [email protected] before Friday, June 28. If you are interested in participating remotely, please let Joan know and we will explore options to facilitate such participation.

Interpretation Bulletin Review

In the interests of helping to ensure compliance with the legislation and Elections Saskatchewan’s internal policies and procedures, we have developed several Interpretation Bulletins on the legislation we administer. Attached you will find five draft Interpretation Bulletins for your review. They are:

• ESIB-FI01 – Party vs. Candidate Expenses
• ESIB-FI02 – Advertisements under Section 215
• ESIB-FI03 – Joint Advertisements
• Advertising on the Internet
• Alcohol & Cannabis as a Corrupt Practice

Following your review and subsequent revisions (if needed), my office will finalize these Interpretation Bulletins, ensure formatting is consistent throughout, and provide you with copies. Final copies will also be placed on our website. Should you have questions, comments or concerns, please contact Jennifer Colin at [email protected] or 306.787.4061. If you have feedback on these documents, please provide it to Jennifer before Friday, June 28.

Annual RPP Meeting – Thank You!

Finally, just a short note to say thank you for attending (or having a designate attend) our annual meeting of registered political parties. I think that this year’s meeting was our most substantive to date with a solid variety of speakers, both from within Elections Saskatchewan and from outside. I am already looking forward to next year’s meeting and I hope that we can continue to provide value and substance to you through these meetings. Thanks again.

I hope that all of you are able to enjoy some time off this summer and some of our beautiful Saskatchewan weather. All the best through the coming months.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan

The post 29th Electoral Cycle Communique for Chief Official Agents, Issue Nineteen appeared first on Elections Saskatchewan.

WIP-SK Deleted from Register of Political Parties

The Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan has been deleted from the register of political parties effective May 10, 2019 in accordance with section 227(1)(c) of The Election Act, 1996 and in relation to the 2018 Regina Northeast by-election. A notice of deletion was published in the Saskatchewan Gazette earlier today and takes effect immediately.

Upon deletion from the register of political parties, a party is no longer entitled to incur expenses, solicit and receive contributions, participate in the Province’s political contributions tax credit regime or field candidates in provincial elections. Thursday, May 9 was the last day for the Western Independence Party of Saskatchewan to issue tax receipts for contributions to the party. More detail can be found in the Act.

A news release on this can be found at www.elections.sk.ca/media/news-releases/western-independence-party-of-saskatchewan-removed-from-register-of-political-parties/.

Polling Division Review Process

Last summer, we let you know that we expected updated polling division maps to be completed early in the 2020 calendar year, well in advance of next fall’s general election. I wanted to let you know that we are well on our way to meeting this goal. We have held several training sessions throughout the province with our new returning officers and have tasked them with reviewing and updating the polling divisions in their constituency. More training sessions are scheduled for the coming weeks in Saskatoon, Swift Current and Prince Albert. If you would like more information on the polling division review project, please contact Jennifer Colin, Deputy CEO for Corporate Services & Electoral Finance, at [email protected].

Interpretation Bulletins & CEO Directives

Before our last general election, we published a number of Interpretation Bulletins and CEO Directives on a variety of topics. You can find copies of these documents on our website within the Candidates and Parties section. We have started the process of reviewing, updating and creating new Interpretation Bulletins and CEO Directives where needed. Our goal is to provide information and clarity to parties and candidates well in advance of the next election. As we move these documents along, we will be sharing them with Chief Official Agents to ask for comments and feedback.

“Save the Date” – RPP Meeting on June 11

Finally, a quick “save the date” message. Our annual registered political party meeting will be held on June 11 here in Regina. We will once again gather at Government House (4607 Dewdney Avenue) for a full day of meetings followed by dinner and conversation afterwards. More details to come in the next few weeks.

Sincerely,

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan

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Advance Voting

Advance voting began yesterday for this by-election and will continue until 10 p.m. on Monday, September 10. So far, there have been no issues or problems to inform you of. If you are interested in daily turnout numbers, you can find them on our Constituency of Regina Northeast by-election webpage (https://www.elections.sk.ca/voters/constituency-of-regina-northeast-by-election/), towards the bottom of the page under “Advance Voting Turnout (current and historical).” Yesterday, there were 360 advance voters, a decrease from the 460 who voted on the first day of advance voting in the 2016 general election.

Personal Care Home Policy for 29th General Election

While not related to the Regina Northeast by-election, I wanted to provide our registered political parties with a copy of an internal policy under development here at Elections Saskatchewan. The policy will be in effect for the next provincial general election and may have an impact on the work that you do. The policy formalizes our approach to providing voting services in personal care homes and seniors’ residential facilities and ensures our returning officers provide a consistent level of service across the province. A copy of the draft policy is attached. If you have comments or feedback, please send them to me by Friday, September 14.

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan

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2018 Expense Limits

You should be aware that expense limits for the annual political party and candidate expense returns as well as the maximum for audit reimbursements will be updated in January 2018. The calculation relies on Consumer Price Index (CPI) information published by Statistics Canada that is not typically available until the third week of January. The expense limits will be updated as quickly as possible after that date and posted on our website. As has become the habit, we will offer greater specificity via a Communique when these numbers become available.

By-Election Expense Reporting – Registered Political Party

Registered political party returns of election expenses are due within six months of polling day for the election to which the election expense returns relate. “Election” is defined in The Election Act, 1996 as the “election of a member” (section 2(p)). Election event returns are therefore required for each election event – if multiple by-elections are held on the same day, an election expense return for each event must be prepared. The election expense limit would apply to each by-election as if it were a single event. Joint agreements may be used and the allocation of expenses should be determined in a manner similar to that used for a general election.

Pending By-Elections – Candidate Return Filing Reminder

As you all know, Elections Saskatchewan will be administering a number of by-elections in the coming months (constituencies of Kindersley, Melfort and Swift Current).

Moving forward, for these pending by-elections and for all other future electoral events, we will now require business managers to submit their candidate’s return of election expenses using our online ELMS tool. Indeed, we have received very favourable feedback from business managers and candidates who have used this system during past elections. We are now convinced use of this tool will improve the general quality of all returns, facilitate the work of business managers and, ultimately, lead to greater efficiencies in the administration of these returns.

We very much appreciate your cooperation as we work to improve the administration of elections in Saskatchewan.

Melfort, Kindersley and Swift Current Constituency Maps

We are pleased to report that the constituency maps for Melfort, Kindersley and Swift Current have been updated and posted on our website. As per the previous by-elections this electoral cycle, we have removed “S” polls and amalgamated them into a bordering poll.

Should you need to print large-scale maps, we have a list of printers who offer this service on our website at https://www.elections.sk.ca/voters/maps/. Please contact our office if you run into any issues. We would be happy to answer questions on this.

If you have questions about the information above, please contact Jennifer Colin, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, at [email protected].

On this the shortest day in 2017, my thoughts turn less to our day-to-day work and more to the coming holiday season, a time when I traditionally assess the last year and think about the excitement of a new one. Thinking back, I want to offer my genuine thanks to you—the leaders of our six registered political parties in Saskatchewan—for your ongoing cooperation and goodwill as we have worked together to improve the conduct of elections and the state of democracy in the province. It has been a genuine privilege to work with you over the past twelve months.

On behalf of everyone at Elections Saskatchewan—at our head office, those working in our 61 constituencies, and the thousands who take seriously their role as impartial election officials during by-elections and general elections alike—I want to wish you the very best during the holiday season. We look forward to serving you in 2018!

Very sincerely,

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan

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Release of Volume II and Volume III in CEO’s Report on Twenty-Eighth General Election

I am happy to report that Volumes II and III in my Report on the Twenty-Eighth General Election were both released this week. On Monday, I tabled Volume II, Administrative Review with the Legislative Assembly – a volume that looks at Elections Saskatchewan’s conduct of the election and includes data provided by some of you in interviews with Dr. Michael Atkinson as well as survey data collected from your candidates and their business managers.

Earlier today, I tabled Volume III, Statement of Expenditures with the Legislative Assembly. This document provides insights on the financial costs of the election, including reimbursements to parties and candidates as well as our own costs of administering the event. For the first time, these costs have been compiled over an entire four-year cycle, reflecting the actual cost of a provincial election rather than those accumulated during the election period. Saskatchewan is one of the few jurisdictions in the country that have switched to this method of accounting, but I believe others will transition in coming years as it is consistent with electoral best practice.

We will be mailing hard copies to your office within the next few days, but you can also view the volumes on our website at elections.sk.ca.

Pending By-Elections – Candidate Return Filing

As you all know, Elections Saskatchewan will be administering a number of by-elections in the coming months (constituencies of Kindersley, Melfort and Swift Current).

Moving forward, for these pending by-elections and for all other future electoral events, we will require business managers to submit their candidate’s return of election expenses using our online ELMS tool. We received positive feedback from those business managers and candidates who used this system during past electoral events and believe this will mean efficiencies for us at Elections Saskatchewan, improve the general quality of all returns, and make it easier for business managers to complete this important work.

If you have questions, please contact Jennifer Colin at 306.787.4061. We very much appreciate your cooperation as work to improve the administration of elections in Saskatchewan.

Pending By-Elections – Voters Lists

One more note for future elections: We will be asking your candidates and their representatives to contact their local returning office in advance if they would like a printed copy of the voters list. This will save resources by not printing copies of the list which are not used and also help ensure your representatives do not need to wait while a list is printed for them. We will issue reminders on this before each specific event, but I wanted to offer some advance notice for you.

Save the Date – Annual Meeting, June 12, 2018

Finally, we have tentatively booked June 12, 2018 as the next date for the annual meeting between Elections Saskatchewan and the province’s registered political parties. Please add this date to your calendars for next year. Our plan is to host this meeting at Government House here in Regina. We will, of course, offer a reminder closer to the date.

I look forward to speaking with all of you at the next available opportunity. If, for some reason, I do not make formal contact with you again within the next month, I would also like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan

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I would like to formally thank you, your teams, and your candidates for their commitment to the democratic process. I would also emphasize that while the public facing portion of the event may be over, there is still work to be done, including the final count and the return to the writ.

Preliminary Results

As you know, Vicki Mowat of the N.D.P. is the successful candidate after the preliminary count. The vote counts are as follows:

• Vicki Mowat, N.D.P. – 2,759
• Cameron Scott, Saskatchewan Party – 1,423
• Shah Rukh, Liberal Party – 199
• David Prokopchuk, P.C. Party – 123
• Taylor Bolin, Saskatchewan Green Party – 61

The final count will take place on Tuesday, September 19 in the returning office. Absentee votes will be counted at that time and official results will be released upon completion.

Turnout was 35.7 percent of registered voters, lower than the April 2016 general election where turnout was 50.1 percent of registered voters. This isn’t unexpected – as I have said in the past, by-elections typically have lower turnout than the preceding general election. Still, turnout of less than 40 percent is concerning in any electoral event, and I will continue to push for discussion on this issue in the media, with representatives of our registered political parties, and with our provincial legislators.

Advance voting continues to be an increasingly popular option for voters. More than 41 percent of all votes cast in this by-election took place during advance voting – a significant jump from the 32.4 percent of votes cast in advance in Saskatoon Fairview during the April 2016 general election. Elections Saskatchewan will continue to monitor this shift to advance voting and examine what it means for us as election administrators.

Key Dates

Here are a few reminders of key dates in the upcoming weeks:

• Tuesday, September 19 – the Final Count will be held at the Returning Office. I will provide more details next week.
• Saturday, September 30 – Wendy De Sa, the returning officer for Saskatoon Fairview, will return the writ of election to my office. Upon receipt, I will inform the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly that the by-election has been completed and inform him of the successful candidate. It is only after the Clerk has received this information that he can formally swear the new Member into the Legislative Assembly.
• Thursday, December 7 – Deadline for candidates to file their audited return of election expenses.
• Wednesday, March 7 – Deadline for registered political parties to file their audited return of election expenses.

Unless something pressing emerges before then, I will be in contact next week with more information on the final count.

All the best,

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan

For additional information on the Saskatoon Fairview by-election, including a link to all CEO Communiques, visit www.elections.sk.ca/fairview.  

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