Final Reminders – Nomination Deadline & S. 226 requirements
Final Reminder – Nomination Deadline
This will likely be the final time I contact you in advance of the nomination deadline of 2pm on Tuesday, July 25. I have mentioned a number of times that a legislative mechanism to extend the nomination deadline does not exist, so I want to urge your potential candidates to contact their Returning Office and set a time to review their nomination materials with the Returning Officer.
I will be in contact with you after the nomination period has closed to provide a list of candidates who will be contesting these by-elections.
Final Reminder – Section 226
Section 226 of The Election Act, 1996 requires registered political parties to update (or to confirm) the information found in the register of political parties within ten days of the writs of election being issued. For the election, that deadline is Monday, July 24 at 5 p.m. A registered political party cannot endorse a candidate if it does not complete with the section 226 requirement.
The leader or chief official agent of the party must also inform the Chief Electoral Officer as to how they wish the name of the party or its abbreviation (or both) to appear on the ballot and other election documents. This notice can be completed using the E-515 Confirmation of Party Details/Designation of Representatives for an Election Period form, which is attached and can also be found on our website.
Vote by Mail Adjudication
Representatives from registered political parties (or candidates) may attend the adjudication of Vote by Mail ballot kits. During the current three by-elections, voters will not be struck from the voters list when a Vote by Mail kit is issued to them, but rather when the kit is received back, and it is adjudicated. For this reason, adjudication will happen daily as kits are returned. We will make arrangements for registered political parties and candidates to observe the adjudication on an ongoing basis, if interested. If you wish to view this process, please contact Jennifer Colin, Chief Operating Officer, at Jennifer.Colin@elections.sk.ca.
To be clear, adjudication of ballots is when we confirm that the voter was eligible and that the certificate envelope was completed correctly. It is not when ballots are counted and votes recorded – that happens at the Second Preliminary Count (Saturday, August 12 for all ballots returned by the end of the day on Wednesday, August 9) and the Final Count (Tuesday, August 22 for all ballots returned between Thursday, August 10 and Monday, August 21).
Vote Counting Equipment – Logic & Accuracy Testing
Logic and accuracy testing (L&A testing) is an important step in confirming that vote counting equipment is operating as expected and that everything has been configured correctly. This happens both before voting takes place (pre-L&A testing) and after voting is over (post-L&A testing). Registered political parties and candidates (or candidate representatives) are welcome to observe both processes.
For the current by-elections, pre-L&A testing will be conducted on Tuesday, August 1 beginning at 1 p.m. Vote counting equipment for the three by-elections, with the exception of the equipment that will be used in Swift Current and Herbert, will have pre-L&A testing performed at our Regina returning office (145 Dorothy Street, formerly Dieppe School). Pre-L&A testing for Herbert and Swift Current will be conducted at the Home Inn and Suites (1411 Battleford Trail E) in Swift Current. The process will begin promptly at 1 p.m. in both locations. You or your party’s representatives do not need to pre-register, but the process will begin at 1 p.m. whether you are in attendance or not so please ensure you are on time if you wish to view the entire process.
Regina Walsh Acres Proclamation – Update
Earlier this week, I sent you copies of election proclamations for each constituency. I want to draw your attention to a minor error on the Regina Walsh Acres proclamation that has since been corrected – some voting times at personal care facilities were listed as taking place on August 2 when they should have been listed as taking place on August 3. The attached version has the correct times and dates for PCF voting.
Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan