Expense Limits
Voter registration has not closed, so these numbers will need to be confirmed in early September, but I wanted to pass along some preliminary information on expense limits.
By legislation, the expense limit for registered political parties for a by-election in a southern constituency is the greater of $49,632 or $3.99 multiplied by the number of names on the voters list. For candidates, the expense limit is the greater of $59,641 or $3.99 multiplied by the number of names on the voters list.
For information, the preliminary voters list had 12,455 names on it. This is slightly higher than the 12,440 required to raise the limit for registered political parties but less than the 14,948 names required to modify the candidate expense limit.
I will provide you with final expense limits for both parties and candidates once voter registration has closed.
VICs
Early next week, Voter Information Cards (VICs) will begin hitting the mail stream on their way to voters in Regina Northeast. The VIC is probably the best tool Elections Saskatchewan has to facilitate the voting process – our stakeholder survey after the April 2016 general election found that more than 83 percent of voters reported that the VIC was a key source of information on voting in the provincial election.
Nomination Deadline Reminder
Please accept this as one last reminder that the deadline for nominations is 2 p.m. on Monday, August 27.
As always, I’d ask that you encourage your candidates to contact the returning officer and make an appointment to review the nomination package to ensure it is all in order. The time by which nomination papers must be filed is one area of the Act that the Chief Electoral Officer is specifically not allowed to extend, even through the use of Section VII powers in the Act. If you have questions about this, please contact Jennifer Colin at Jennifer.Colin@elections.sk.ca, 306.787.4061 or 306.520.4705.
Section 226 Reminder
Finally, one last reminder that Monday, August 27 at 5 p.m. is also the deadline for registered political parties to update or confirm the information found in the register of political parties. If you have questions about this, please contact Jennifer Colin at the contact information list above.
Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan