Dr. Michael Boda, Saskatchewan’s chief electoral officer, has recommended three ways to modernize Saskatchewan’s election system..Boda said the changes are necessary to update Saskatchewan’s election system to Canadian standards and best practices..Boda said that the system changed little in the past 100 years..“From 1905 up until now, the system has been quite similar, and it’s stayed very much the same,” said Boda.. Michael Boda Elections SK .“The technology that I am recommending will be able to improve the integrity of the process so that we know who has voted across the province and determine more effectively that everyone is doing their duty of voting once and not more than that.”.The first update would be an “election period” instead of an election day..For example, no more advance polls but a “voting week” to give people easier access to in-person voting..“It would allow for a longer period of time, and there won’t be these distinctions between advanced voting and election day. We want to spread that period of time out and allow people to vote by mail as well,” said Boda..There was a big increase in voting by mail from 1% in 2016 to 12.5% in 2020..The second update would put more technology into the system using an electronic poll book and tabulators..“Saskatoon and Regina have been using tabulators for more than a decade, but we haven’t been using them across the province. We would be introducing tabulators, not to every last polling location, but to many polling locations,” said Boda..Boda said it is just a paper list of voters currently and moving to an electronic system streamlines and speeds up the check-in process.. Elections Saskatchewan Ballot Box .“There is a manual strike-off, just a manual list when voters come in, and it is sometimes very difficult to find the voters on the list,” said Boda. .“An electronic poll book allows us to look you up very quickly or to just simply scan your voter information card and be able to move you along quickly.”.The third update broadens access to voting in your home constituency..“We are talking about introducing a limited approach to being able to vote anywhere in the province for your constituency,” said Boda..“For example, if you lived in Regina, but you happened to be working in Swift Current, you could actually vote in Swift Current at a location for the candidates in Regina. That would be an important step.”.Boda wants modernization to help improve voting accessibility and make it more convenient. .“This is an opportunity for a historic change, in which we position the province to guard those democratic traditions that we have for the 21st century,” said Boda. .“The system would allow for greater flexibility of the voter, which I think is really important.”
