September 26, 2022. Today is by-election day in the provincial constituency of Saskatoon Meewasin, the last day to vote for voters who have not already cast a ballot.
Five straight days of advance voting concluded on Saturday, with 2,575 ballots cast at the three advance voting locations. Today voting takes place at 13 separate locations, plus four personal care homes and City Hospital. View the complete proclamation for this event here.
“I encourage all voters in Saskatoon Meewasin who have not yet cast a ballot to do so today,” says Dr. Michael Boda, Chief Electoral Officer for Saskatchewan. “All voting locations will be open for voters until 8 p.m. tonight. At that time, our elections team in Saskatoon will open all the ballot boxes used today and the boxes used in advance voting and begin counting.”
“Tonight is what we call the First Preliminary Count, with the official results being collected and reported during Final Count on October 8.”
Masks are encouraged but not required. All election workers will be wearing masks. Inside voting places today will be hand sanitizer, single-use pencils, physical distancing, and dividers between voters and election workers.
To vote in this by-election, you must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, have lived in Saskatchewan for at least the past six months, and ordinarily be a resident in the constituency of Saskatoon Meewasin on August 29, 2022, the day the by-election was called. You must show ID at the voting place before you get a ballot. A list of acceptable ID is at www.elections.sk.ca/id.
On by-election days, voters are assigned a specific voting location. Saskatoon Meewasin voters can find this location either on their voter information card or by typing in their address with this online tool at www.elections.sk.ca/wheredoivote.
Another 270 vote by mail ballot kits were mailed out to voters for this by-election. These ballots must be in the mail for return to Elections Saskatchewan by 8 p.m. tonight to be counted. To date, 118 mail-in ballots have been returned.
There are 12,292 registered voters in Saskatoon Meewasin as of the start of advance voting. Voters not registered can still vote today by registering in-person when they arrive at a voting place today to cast a ballot.
In the 2020 provincial general election, 7,221 ballots were cast in Saskatoon Meewasin, 3,188 of them during advance voting, and 1,504 of them were mail-in ballots.
Counting begins after 8 p.m. tonight. The timelines for counting are as follows:
First Preliminary Count. Takes place tonight after 8 p.m. and these results will be released later tonight. Counted tonight are ballots from advance voting, homebound voting, by-election day and personal care facilities.
Second Preliminary Count. This takes place two days after by-election day, so on September 28. Vote by Mail ballots received by September 23 are counted in Regina as part of this count. Results are cumulative.
Final Count. Takes place 12 days after by-election day, so on October 8. Final Count to include Vote by Mail ballots received after September 23. May also include Hospital, Remand and Temporarily Displaced Voters ballots, and Extraordinary Voting ballots. Results are cumulative and final results produced.
Click here for an infographic that details when ballots will be counted during these three counts.
Results online at: https://results.elections.sk.ca/
Elections Saskatchewan (ESK) is the province’s nonpartisan election management body and an independent office of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. ESK directs and supervises the administration of provincial electoral events including Saskatchewan’s next general election, scheduled, by legislation, for October 28, 2024. Information for voters, workers, media, candidates, and parties at www.elections.sk.ca.
For more information contact:
Tim Kydd
Senior Director, Outreach & Communications
Elections Saskatchewan
306.537.9211
tim.kydd@elections.sk.ca