Ballot boss can change rules on election day

Oct. 26 election will go ahead as scheduled but might look different, says premier

Saskatchewan’s government has granted the province’s chief electoral officer clearer powers to adjust election rules during a pandemic.

The government announced on Wednesday that it had changed regulations to give chief electoral officer Michael Boda the power “to take any necessary action to ensure the October 26 provincial election is conducted safely, in light of the COVID -19 pandemic.”

In a news release, Premier Scott Moe stressed that the election will go ahead this fall, as provided for in set election date legislation.

“The fall provincial election will go ahead as planned, but it might look a little different,” Moe said. “The chief electoral officer wanted to make sure that he had the authority to make any changes to the voting process he feels are necessary to ensure a safe and successful election, so the government is strengthening his emergency powers to ensure he has that authority.”

Boda addressed four recommendations to the government and the legislative assembly earlier this month, as he planned for an election under the threat of COVID -19. He asked for expanded emergency powers, as well as exclusive access to school gymnasiums, help acquiring personal protective equipment and an advisory panel on elections that would include the province’s chief medical health officer.

Boda said that the changes announced Wednesday mean he can safely hold an election this fall. He called them “an important first step.”

“The challenges COVID -19 poses to our election processes are unlike anything I have seen in more than two decades as an election administrator,” he said in a news release. “From an operational standpoint, it is my view that Elections Saskatchewan can now proceed with planning for a safe general election on October 26, 2020.”

His office confirmed that the new regulations match what Boda was looking for.

Saskatchewan’s Election Act already gives Boda emergency powers to extend deadlines and polling hours in the case of an emergency, but the term is not clearly defined. The changes the government announced Wednesday make clear that those powers apply in a pandemic by defining a “public health emergency.”

According to the government, the changes “give the Chief Electoral Officer the power to adapt any provision of the Act as necessary to reduce a health risk to the public.”

Boda has previously outlined work Elections Saskatchewan is doing to plan for the pandemic, including by bringing on a consultant in infectious diseases. But he said there isn’t enough time to implement measures that would completely eliminate the need for in-person voting, such as a fully mail-in balloting system.

Boda said physical distancing will be key, and Moe echoed that in his Wednesday statement. He said he has full confidence in Boda’s office.

“I have every confidence that Elections Saskatchewan will take the right steps to ensure a safe election for everyone,” he said.

The province also announced on Wednesday that it will be delaying elections for resort villages from July 25 to Aug. 29.