October 2020 election date about the Sask. Party, not the voters

It’s irksome that the Saskatchewan Party picked Oct. 26, 2020 as the next election day, because this decision isn’t about who it should be about: the voters.

It’s an annoying choice because it doesn’t settle the conflict facing municipal and school board voters and provincial voters … who just happen to be one and the same.

Yes, the legislation introduced in the Saskatchewan chamber Wednesday now separates by two weeks the next school board/ municipal votes (to be held on Nov. 9, 2020) and the provincial vote. That’s a tad better than the five-day separation that would have occurred had the government stuck with the original dates of an Oct. 28 municipal election and Nov. 2 general provincial election.

However, it doesn’t alleviate the confusion and possible disinterest created by having what are still, essentially, simultaneous municipal and provincial campaigns. Voter burnout is a real thing, and it could have been avoided if there had been a willingness to do so. But that seemed less of a priority to the Saskatchewan Party than the political advantages they gain.

Having simultaneous municipal and provincial campaigns means candidates wanting to move up from local government to run provincially will have to make the choice much earlier. Coincidentally, this happens to be most advantageous to the Sask. Party, whose NDP competition often comes from MLAS with backgrounds as city or town mayors, councillors and school trustees.

It also means less opportunity for Ndp-minded supporters to concentrate their efforts on electing local trustees, councillors and mayors, because they will be tied up with provincial campaigns.

But more irksome to the voters is that all this now means the current Sask. Party mandate will be extended to four years and 205 days — more than half a year past the traditional four-year mandate. That’s only a minuscule improvement from the four years and 211 days we would have seen with the original Nov. 2, 2020 date. Couple that with the fact that former premier Brad Wall already extended the previous Sask. Party mandate to four years and 149 days — ostensibly to avoid conflict with the vote of another level of government.

Essentially, what this does is allow the Sask. Party to sneak an extra year of governance into what should have been two fouryear terms. This negates the good that came with Wall running on setting fixed election dates in the first place — a measure to avoid the ongoing political games and manipulation of voters.

According to Premier Scott Moe, October best fits the legislative calendar.

Nonsense. It actually disrupts the current fall sittings … but that’s not really the point.

Why would picking an election date ever be about the politicians rather than the voters? That doesn’t seem right, does it?

That said, the best time for both the “legislative calendar” and the people would be June elections. Or so history tells us.

Historically speaking, Saskatchewan has had one election in each of the months of July, August, September and December, three in April and November, four in October and 14 Saskatchewan elections in June.

June elections just make the most sense. The spring sitting with its budget would be well over. The weather is great, with no chance of an early snow or ice storm that could prevent voters — especially older voters — from getting out and voting like April or late- October/november elections. People aren’t on summer vacation yet, and seeding is done.

Yet on Wednesday, Moe provided absolutely no logical explanation for opting for an October vote over a set June election date in Saskatchewan. In fact, Moe’s communication office instead provided the opposite with misleading spin that “historical data” in the last three decades “clarifies” that the “two highest voter turnouts were in October.”

There were historically high vote turnouts in the October 1986 and 1991 elections because voters seemed determined to turf Grant Devine’s Progressive Conservatives from office. Historically, the highest vote turnouts in Saskatchewan have been, unsurprisingly, in June when it’s easiest for voters to vote.

But it’s never really about the voters, is it?