October 1, 2024 – Today, Dr. Michael Boda, Chief Electoral Officer of Saskatchewan, signed all 61 writs of election (one for each constituency) for the province’s 30th General Election. An order from the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council arrived today, instructing that a provincial election be held during a Voting Week of October 22 to 28, 2024.
“Fundamental to a free and fair election is that every voter has convenient and easy access to casting their ballot,” says Dr. Boda. “This election we are broadening access to the ballot for our 800,000+ eligible voters. We are doing that by expanding the vote by mail option and formalizing Voting Week with 56 hours of voting spread over six days.”
“The creation of Voting Week is a crucial step in acknowledging the need to place the voter at the centre of our system. This broadens a voter’s access to the secret ballot, introducing multiple days, multiple places, and multiple ways of voting that offer greater convenience for eligible voters.”
“Voting by mail is one of those ways of voting. It is a safe and secure alternative to voting in-person. Over the past two elections we’ve seen interest in this option rise from 4,400 absentee ballots in 2016 to 61,000+ applications in 2020. Vote-by-mail ballots are not automatically mailed to every voter, as is the case in some jurisdictions outside Canada. Eligible voters must first apply in advance for one and provide a copy of ID with their application,” says Dr. Boda.
Any Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years old by October 28, 2024, and ordinarily a Saskatchewan resident is eligible to vote. You must show ID at voting locations to vote. The complete list of acceptable ID at www.elections.sk.ca/id.
A resource page for voters, workers, candidates, parties, and media for this general election can be found at www.elections.sk.ca/2024GE.
Key dates this election:
October 11-18 Voter Information Cards (VIC) mailed out via Canada Post
October 12 Candidate nominations close
October 14 Thanksgiving Day (returning offices closed)
October 19 Last day for voters to register in advance. As of October 1, 2024, there are 809,053 registered voters. Any eligible voter not already registered and misses this deadline can still register in person when they go to vote.
October 19 Final day to apply to vote by mail and apply for homebound voting. As of October 1, 2024, we have received 21,406 vote by mail applications.
October 22-26 Vote any of these five early voting days during Voting Week, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (one additional hour per day from previous elections)
October 27 No voting.
October 28 Final day of voting during Voting Week, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
October 28 First Preliminary Count, beginning after 8 p.m. Voting Week ballots, homebound voting ballots, and personal care facility ballots counted.
October 30 Second Preliminary Count. Vote by mail ballots received by October 26 are counted.
November 9 Final Count. All ballots from First and Second Preliminary Counts, plus vote by mail ballots received after October 26, and hospital, remand, and temporarily displaced voter ballots.
November 28 All 61 returning offices close.
“All ballots are paper and are marked by the voter, by hand. All ballots are counted by hand by election workers. Some will have more ballots to count than others, so voting results during the First Preliminary Count will not all report at the same time. There are no electronic ballots, voting machines, or counting machines used in a Saskatchewan general election,” says Dr. Boda.
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