Athabasca By-Election Communique for Chief Official Agents, Issue Eight

Advance Voting, Contact Info & CEO Orders

Advance Voting Underway

Two days of advance voting are complete and the third is underway. Advance voting will continue in all six locations on Saturday, February 12, and Sunday, February 13, from 12 noon to 8 p.m. each day.

I’m happy to report that, through two days, vote totals in this by-election are relatively close to the general election. The table below shows totals from all five days of advance voting in 2020 compared against the first two days so far in this by-election.

Reminder – Contact during By-Election

This is a reminder that, for this by-election, any questions and concerns from you, as Chief Official Agents, can be directed to Aaron Thompson, Director of Finance. Aaron can be reached at 306.570.2134 or aaron.thompson@elections.sk.ca.  You are also welcome to contact me directly at any time. 

ATV Observation – Correction

Last week, I provided you with information on how you could observe the initial intake portion of the Assisted Telephone Voting process. Our apologies, it has come to my attention that there was an error in the email address that we provided to RSVP your attendance.

If you would like to observe the initial intake process, which will take place at our head office from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., please email Sarah Wright at oceo.admin@elections.sk.ca. Sarah will prepare the necessary paperwork that will allow you to enter the ATV polling place. All other conditions and information from my February 4 Communique continue to apply.    

CEO Orders

In advance of the 2020 general election, regulatory changes were made that clarified and better defined the emergency powers provided to the Chief Electoral Officer in section 7 of The Election Act, 1996 (the Act). This was in response to recommendations that I had made to the Government of Saskatchewan in advance of that event seeking explicit authority to be able to adapt electoral processes given the presence of COVID-19. The adaptations that I made in 2020 could be broken down into two categories – first, changes required to protect against and prevent the spread of COVID-19, and second, changes required to ensure the efficiency and stability of the election system as a result of the pandemic. Given the current state of COVID-19 in the province, I will again be adapting legislation for those same two reasons. 

The changes being made using the authority found in section 7 of the Act will be recorded and communicated to you through CEO Orders. Section 7(3)(a) requires that the Chief Electoral Officer give notice to every registered political party when the authority contained in section 7 is used. Please accept the attached CEO Order along with this Communique as that notice. I would also ask that you communicate this information to your staff, candidates and other party officials. One new CEO Order and one amended Order are attached here:

CEO Order 2022-09 Adjusting the Deadline for Elections Saskatchewan to Receive Absentee (Vote by Mail) Ballots by Mail: This CEO Order adjusts the deadline for voters to return their Vote by Mail package back to Elections Saskatchewan from 10 days (Friday, February 25) after the by-election to 12 noon on the thirteenth day after the by-election (Monday, February 28). Given that many communities in Athabasca are considered “remote” by Canada Post and have lengthy delivery schedules, this will provide one additional day for ballots to be returned to my office while not affecting the Final Count. This does not affect the requirement for ballots to be in the mail before 8 p.m. on polling day, Tuesday, February 15. This Order also amends CEO Order 2020-08, Appendix A to clarify that the deadline for ballots to be received by Elections Saskatchewan is day 13 after polling day and not day 10 after polling day.

CEO Order 2022-08 Absentee Voting (Vote by Mail and Homebound Voting) Appendix A: I am attaching an amended version of the Appendix to the Order that was provided to you on January 21 describing the changes made to allow the expanded Vote by Mail opportunity to take place. This version contains the amendment mentioned above, changing the deadline for my office to receive Vote by Mail packages from day 10 after polling day to day 13 after polling day.    

Thank you for your cooperation through this by-election thus far. I look forward to continuing to work with you through voting day, the Final Count and the Return to the Writ.

Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan

All information related to the Athabasca by-election can be found online at www.elections.sk.ca/athabasca.