More than 54,000 mail-in voters registered; safety a top priority at polls

Elections Saskatchewan is preparing for a massive number of mail-in votes for the upcoming provincial election, but it’s also making sure people feel safe to head to the polls in person.

Chief electoral officer Dr. Michael Boda said there have been 54,306 applications for mail-in ballots, which is about 12 per cent of the total turnout for the 2016 election.

In 2016, only one per cent of voters used absentee voting. The deadline to register to vote by mail is Thursday at midnight.

“In the context of COVID-19, we’re offering different options in a different way this time around,” Boda said. “Vote by mail has been a very important part of that component and so we have ramped up and made sure we have the capacity for that.”

He said there is a clear paper trail and a person’s name is struck from the in-person voting list to ensure an individual can’t vote twice during an election.

“We have a team of investigators that are focused on that element to make sure that the integrity is maintained,” Boda said.

Boda said Elections Saskatchewan officials are also focusing on keeping people safe at the polling stations.

“It’s going to be no different than going to your local grocery store,” Boda said. “We have worked very, very closely with Dr. (Saqib) Shahab and his team.”

Boda said there will be dividers put up between voters and workers as well as the workers themselves to keep people safe.

Masks will not be required to vote but are strongly recommended. Masks will be available at the polling stations.

“At the end of the day, our province does not have a public health order or law requiring masks to be worn inside most locations,” Boda said.

There will also be double the number of polling stations available but they will be spread out to more locations. In previous years, there might be four stations in a building; in 2020, there might only be two or three.

Boda said Elections Saskatchewan continues to need workers to help on voting days.

“There is no constituency that we don’t need more workers,” Boda said.

He said Saskatoon, Yorkton and northern communities are areas in which officials are facing a manpower challenge.

“There is a sense that there’s a greater presence of COVID-19 in some of these communities and maybe people are pulling back a little bit,” Boda said. “That’s why I really do want to emphasize that we have worked closely with the chief medical health officer that we are doing the right things.”

Advanced polls run from Oct. 20 to 24. Election day is Oct. 26.