The majority of Saskatchewan’s Returning Officers are now officially in their roles following an appointment ceremony on March 17, 2014.
Returning Officers are Election Saskatchewan’s senior field leaders. To date, 54 have been hired in the province’s 61 new Saskatchewan constituencies that take effect in the next provincial general election, scheduled for Nov. 2, 2015. The seven remaining Returning Officer positions are in the process of being filled.
While in Regina, a team photo of all Returning Officers and Election Clerks was taken at the Saskatchewan Legislature.
The Returning Officers were sworn-in during an appointment ceremony as part of the Conference of Saskatchewan Election Officials, held March 16-18, 2014 in Regina.
Participating in the ceremony were:
- Her Honour the Honourable Vaughn Solomon Schofield, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan
- Honourable Dan D’Autremont, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan
- Dr. Michael Boda, Chief Electoral Officer, Elections Saskatchewan
The conference involved Supervisory Returning Officers, Returning Officers, Election Clerks and Elections Saskatchewan head office staff. It was an orientation into electoral management in Saskatchewan and included presentations on:
- Roles and responsibilities of election officials
- Standards and expectations
- Finding polling places
- Voter registration and enumeration
- Legislation and policy
- How to hire and train the 10,000 people needed for election day
“All staff at Elections Saskatchewan, whether at head office or the field leadership team, have been hired through a competitive, merit-based process,” says Dr. Boda. “We have been recruiting, interviewing and hiring the key positions of Returning Officer and Election Clerk since the fall. We are thrilled with the quality of individuals who have stepped forward into these leadership positions to serve democracy in Saskatchewan.
“These citizens are the face of Elections Saskatchewan in their own communities and constituencies. They model our values, share our vision, and are eager to learn their roles in order to serve all voters and candidates. Election Day is more than an event, it’s a four-year cycle of planning and delivering and our field staff are vital to this process.”
Former Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, the Honourable Dr. Gordon Barnhart delivered the keynote address to participants on Monday evening. At that time, Dr. Boda announced two recipients of The Chief Electoral Officer’s Lifetime Service Award, Gail Morgan of Kivimaa-Moonlight Bay, Saskatchewan and Dorothy Arthurs of Loverna, Saskatchewan.
Elections Saskatchewan is the province’s independent, impartial, professional election management body. Given a mandate from the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, it organizes, manages and oversees provincial electoral events.
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For more information contact:
Tim Kydd
Senior Director, Outreach & Policy
Elections Saskatchewan
(306) 787-7355
