The Elections Saskatchewan 2020-21 Annual Report shows that our recent provincial election, executed in a pandemic, cost more to deliver than was budgeted. The ongoing administration costs came in almost $200,000 under budget but the event related costs account for most of the overrun with the election ringing in almost $3 million higher than budgeted.

It was a pandemic so voters were provided with single use pencils to use while voting, after which they could keep it or discard it when they were finished voting. Hand sanitizer was available throughout the voting location and a cleaning schedule was implemented for high contact surfaces. Voters could also choose to receive their Voter Information Card (VIC) on their smart phone by text or email. Extraordinary voting was also implemented for those who were in a community lockdown due to COVID-19.

The report states that one important consideration during this period was ensuring that the Chief Electoral Officer would have the appropriate authority to adapt and adjust to the dynamic scenarios presented by the pandemic. An online application portal was created which allowed voters to apply online, upload a copy of their identification documents and track the status of their application throughout the voting process.

During this election the volume of Vote by Mail ballots had increased more than tenfold, meaning there were many ballots left to be counted after Election Day. This was also the first election where a provincial election management body has conducted a “central count” of ballots. The practice is common elsewhere in the world but not in North America. A central count is when ballots from all constituencies are brought together in one location to be physically counted.

There were three primary ways of voting—by mail, during advance voting and on election day.  The number of voters who voted on Election Day continued to fall. In the 2011 provincial election the vast majority, 82.5 per cent of all voters, cast their ballot on election-day. In 2016, that fell to 73.4 per cent and continued to fall in 2020 to less than half of all voters at 45 per cent.

Continuing a trend seen in recent elections, the number of advance voters continued to rise. A provincial record 184,742 votes were cast at advance polls, a 66 percent increase over 2016.

Surveys conducted by Elections Saskatchewan also indicates about 20 per cent of voters were confused who was running in each election due to the date proximity in the dates of provincial and municipal elections. There was also confusion about whether issues were relevant provincially or municipally.