REGINA – Saskatchewan voters will head to the polls on April 4th but there have been some changes made to the voting process since residents last cast their ballot in the 2011 provincial election.
There are three new constituencies including Regina – Pasqua, Saskatoon Stonebridge – Dakota and Saskatoon Silverspring – Sutherland.
There have also been changes to how you cast your ballot and we sat down with Saskatchewan’s Chief Electoral Officer, Dr. Michael Boda to learn more:
Q: What’s the reason behind the new constituencies and how will it impact voters on April 4th?
Dr. Boda: Every ten years there’s a boundary process that we go through. A boundary commission was struck and 61 constituencies were created. The two in the north, Athabasca and Cumberland, were the same but there was an impact to those in the south. So, how will it impact voters? Well there’s different lines so you might not be in the exact same place.
Q: I understand we’re working to make the voting process more accessible for some people?
Dr. Boda: There is a new way to vote in the province, for the first time ever. It’s called homebound voting. Persons with disabilities or mobility issue can contact their local returning officer, the numbers are located on our website, then they can set up an appointment and during advanced voting we’ll send a team out to them so they can vote.
Q: What changes have been made to advance polling stations since last election in 2011?
Dr. Boda: For the first time ever in the province you don’t need a reason to vote in advance. We encourage people to consider voting between March 29th and April 2nd. There will be advance polls that will be open so it’s a little less hurried than on election day. We still will be voting on April 4th, and most people probably will vote on that day but there is that opportunity to vote in advance as well.
Where and what you need to vote: http://vote.elections.sk.ca/
Elections Saskatchewan is still looking for people to work on election day and if you’re interested you’re encouraged to visit: elections.sk.ca/takepart
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