(File image of a voting place/Saskatchewan Elections) 

By Glenn Hicks

Election 2020

More space at P.A. voting stations as mail-in option surges

Oct 20, 2020 | 8:00 AM

COVID-19 pandemic precautions and the need for extra spacing means there will be plenty of places across Saskatchewan, including for the Prince Albert and area public, for five consecutive days of advance voting in the provincial election starting today.

There are five voting stations dedicated to the city’s two urban ridings – P.A. Northcote and P.A. Carlton – while there are seven polling stations each in the ridings of Saskatchewan Rivers, Rosthern-Shellbrook and Batoche. Full details from Elections Sask. can be viewed here.

Surge in mail-in option

There’s been a huge increase in mail-in applications due to the pandemic, and it’s not clear how that might impact the showing at this week’s advance polling. A total of 61,412 people were approved to vote by mail in this election, up from just 4,420 in 2016. The deadline to apply was just before midnight on Oct.15.

Elections Saskatchewan still expects it to be busy for the advance voting which runs every day Tuesday through Saturday noon to 8 p.m.

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“Certainly the trend is there; in the last three elections the advance voter turnout has increased dramatically from a total of 49,000 in 2007 to more than 110,000 four years ago,” Elections Saskatchewan spokesperson Tim Kydd told paNOW. “However, it’ll be interesting to see now… with the [big] vote by mail numbers.”

Kydd said anyone who always votes in person and who is immunocompromised or just doesn’t feel comfortable going to a voting station this election may have wanted to register for the vote by mail option, but he said staff were still preparing for a good turnout province wide.

Creating more space

“Because of the pandemic protocols we have in place – one of them is distancing – we have more locations this year than we’ve had in the past … going from 1,200 to nearly 2,000 for this election. We want to ensure people are spaced out in the polls,” he said.

He explained in addition to physical distancing, staff will wear face masks with voters encouraged to do the same. Staff will be on the other side of a clear plastic divider, there will be hand-sanitizer going into and leaving the voting station, and single use pencils for making that all important mark.

While the pandemic has prompted a very big increase in mail-in ballots, Kydd said it has also created challenges in hiring, especially in areas like Prince Albert where there have been recent outbreaks.

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“It’s too bad, we hear first-hand from people who have always worked an election but can’t this year because of the health situation,” he said.

But that has opened the door for newcomers to be part of the occasion, and not only working-age adults and retirees. New rules allowing 16-year-olds to be part of the team has resulted in an influx of students.

“This year we’ve had a lot of Grade 11 and 12 students who want to see democracy in action close up,” Kydd said, noting there are still vacancies for anyone who may want to apply.

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For all things election – provincial and municipal – head to our special election section.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow