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REGINA — Saskatchewan residents can vote for five days starting Tuesday in the lead-up to next week’s provincial election.
Chief electoral officer Michael Boda says voting week is meant to make it convenient for eligible voters to cast their ballots early.
On Monday, he told reporters there are more than 880 voting locations spread across 61 ridings, open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the first five days and from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day, Oct. 28.
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“There is no better day to vote during voting week and, in fact, we encourage voters to cast their ballot before the last day,” said Boda.
“Who knows? We could be hit with an atmospheric river or — more likely — a snowstorm. But anything is possible, and that way you have more options to vote starting (Tuesday) and until Saturday.”
Polls won’t be open Sunday. Voters can find their polling stations on their information cards or by visiting the Elections Saskatchewan website.
Boda said Elections Saskatchewan will have mobile polls at personal care homes and hospitals. There will also be polls at correctional facilities. Those with disabilities who can’t leave their homes were earlier able to request to vote from home.
Boda added there will be additional polls in rural areas on Oct. 28.
“No one should have to drive more than 30 minutes to a poll,” he said.
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About 5,000 elections staff will be working across the province, Boda said, adding that counting on election day could go on until midnight or longer.
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“This is my third cycle back in Saskatchewan and there are always people still counting at 1 o’clock in the morning,” he said. “It’s done by hand.”
Boda said more than 32,000 voters have chosen to cast their ballots by mail, down from the last provincial election held in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are about 810,000 registered voters in Saskatchewan, he said.
Also Monday, Carla Beck’s NDP and Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party urged voters to cast their ballots early.
Moe said in a statement that he hopes people will re-elect his party. He has proposed to reduce personal income tax rates over four years to save a family of four $3,400, along with a suite of tax credits to help with affordability issues.
Beck has said residents can vote for change and her focus is to fix health care and education. She has also pledged to suspend the gas tax for six months and scrap the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing.
At dissolution, the governing Saskatchewan Party had 42 seats, while the Opposition NDP had 14. There were four Independents and one seat was vacant.
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