From: Dr. Michael Boda
Chief Electoral Officer
Province of Saskatchewan
 Date: October 31, 2014
To: Chief Official Agents
Registered Political Parties of Saskatchewan
 
Re: Lloydminster By-Election Update 

With by-election day less than two weeks away, I appreciate that you are fully engaged in your campaign efforts in the Constituency of Lloydminster. Our Returning Officer has completed and distributed a preliminary voters list, facilitated the nomination process for interested candidates within legislative requirements, and has now begun to focus on advance voting.
As we enter the weekend, I would like to highlight a few items for you and your candidates:

• Preliminary Voters List:  I am advised that all nominated candidates now have a copy of the preliminary voters list in hand.  While each constituency is unique, we remain committed to providing the most accurate voters list that can be produced. You will know that, by legislation, the enumeration for this by-election has taken place during the writ period, adding additional challenges. Our Returning Office continues to take steps to refine the voters list so that the revised list is improved further.

• Candidate nominations: The period for candidate nominations closed at 2 p.m. on October 28. As I am sure you know, five individuals filed nomination papers and were accepted as official candidates. They are: 
o Luke Bonsan, Green Party
o Wayne Byers, New Democratic Party (N.D.P.)
o Randall Edge, P.C. Party of Saskatchewan
o Darrin Lamoureux, Saskatchewan Liberal Party
o Colleen Young, Saskatchewan Party
Continued…

• Information for voters: My office has produced a brochure that will be mailed to every household within the constituency. The mailer details voting times, provides information on how to find out where an individual votes and explains the type of identification that can be used to cast a ballot. I have attached a copy for your reference.

• Advance Voting – Campaign Workers and Election Officials: It is important that every eligible voter have the opportunity to cast a ballot and we know that your workers won’t necessarily have time to vote on by-election day. At this point, I would simply encourage you to speak with your candidate representatives and other volunteers and ensure they are aware of advance voting options. I will be sending this same message to all of the election officials who will be working the polls on by-election day. I have attached a document that details advance voting times and locations.

• Revised Voters List: As dictated by legislation, the revised voters list will not be completed until November 8. Revisions can be made until 10 p.m. that night. If your candidates are encountering individuals who were not enumerated, please have them contact the Lloydminster Returning Office before 10 p.m. on November 8.

• Identification options: My office and our Lloydminster field staff have been in contact with those who are able to, according to legislation, provide identification for groups that traditionally have had trouble satisfying voter identification requirements. Letters of instruction have been sent to the applicable seniors’ residences, soup kitchens, First Nations reserves, etc. describing the different options to prove name and residency. We have also contacted the provincial Ministry of Justice and both the John Howard and Elizabeth Fry societies.

I travelled to Lloydminster again this week to work with our Returning Officer, Josephine Taylor, and am pleased with the progress she and her team are making there.

Moving forward, I hope that you will continue to monitor our by-election page, which is being updated on an ongoing basis: www.elections.sk.ca/lloydminsterbyelection. And, yes, please be in touch with me and our team with comments, questions or concerns.

Best wishes,
Michael