What you need to know on Saskatchewan’s election day

It’s provincial election day in Saskatchewan.

Polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and all ballots will be counted by hand following the final day of voting.

Chief Electoral Officer Michael Boda said this year’s election has included a few changes, like the introduction of electronic poll books to make it easier for workers to count the ballots.

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“Electronic poll books are laptops with specialized software on them that allow us to replace the pencils and rulers that were used to strike off voters off what was a very thick list of voters,” Boda said during a Friday conference call.

Boda said the technology allows Elections Saskatchewan workers to handle a much larger volume of voters with a higher degree of speed and accuracy.

“For this election, electronic poll books are being used in the major, major population areas of the province, so Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Swift Current, Yorkton, the Battlefords and Martensville-Blairmore,” he said.

When will the results come in?

Elections Saskatchewan will begin its first preliminary count after the polls close on Monday night.

Boda said most of the results early of the night will come from votes cast on election day, which he expects to be fewer in number than the 273,010 votes cast during the early voting period.

Boda also said results from rural constituencies will likely be reported before results from urban centres.

Elections Saskatchewan will count all the ballots from voting week, as well as votes from personal care facilities and homebound ballots during Monday’s count.

Boda said the time it takes to tally the votes can depend on the area, and some counts could potentially go on past midnight.

What about mail-in ballots?

Mail-in ballots will be counted during the second preliminary count, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 30 in Regina.

The final count is scheduled for Nov. 9 at the returning office and in Regina.

“Results are not final until the final count. No one wins or loses on the night of the first preliminary count,” Boda said.

“Things can change, especially given the volume of the vote-by-mail balance. It’s only following the final count that we will know which candidates have been selected by their constituents.”

He said the central count in Regina will tally ballots received from hospitals, remand facilities and potentially polls for voters that have been temporarily displaced.

What do voters need to bring to the polls?

In order to cast a ballot, voters will need to bring either a driver’s licence or two pieces of identification with their name and address.

Tim Kydd with Elections Saskatchewan said approximately 90 per cent of voters use a driver’s licence, but he noted that the identification used doesn’t have to include a photo.

“If you don’t have a driver’s licence, you can bring something that has your name, like a health card or a birth certificate or a passport,” he said. “But we still need something that shows your current address to make sure you’re voting in the right constituency.”

Kydd said utility bills, bank statements and income tax statements would also do the trick.

If voters are still standing in line by 8 p.m. when voting stations close, they will still be allowed to vote.

Early voting numbers set new record

A record 273,010 people cast their ballot in the early voting phase.

That shattered the previous record of 184,742, which was set in 2020.

According to Elections Saskatchewan, 33 per cent of Saskatchewan’s registered voters have made their ways to the polls.

A total of 61,044 people cast a ballot on the very first day of voting, well above the previous record of 43,241, which was also set in 2020.

Politicians happy to see high early voting numbers

Both of Saskatchewan’s major parties are feeling optimistic about the early poll results.

Saskatchewan NDP Leader Carla Beck said the voter turnout so far makes her hopeful.

“This is encouraging, both for us as the Saskatchewan NDP and encouraging for democracy,” she said. “People should feel like their vote matters, first of all, and that they’ve got something positive to vote for.”

Beck said voters she’s spoken to on doorsteps around the province have told her they want change.

“I’m hearing from people and they’re tired of division,” Beck said. “They’re tired of rhetoric. They’re tired of the Sask. Party pointing to 20 years ago or trying to divide.”

Beck said the people of Saskatchewan deserve better.

“If I have the honor of forming government on Monday, it really will be the honour of this farm kid’s life, to get to serve as the premier of this province and to get to work delivering better for Saskatchewan people,” she said.

Saskatchewan Party Leader Scott Moe said he’s also feeling good about the early poll numbers.

Sask. Party candidate Ken Cheveldayoff said people are excited.

“We’re going to work right to the last minute to make sure that every Saskatchewan Party voter gets to the polls and helps make this province a better place in the next four years,” he said.

Parminder Singh, another Sask. Party candidate, said he’s knocked on nearly 30,000 doors in his Saskatoon Chief Mistawasis constituency.

“It’s lot of positive on the doors,” he said.

–with files from 650 CKOM’s Will Mandzuk and 980 CJME’s Nicole Garn