麻豆传媒

ESTEVAN - Estevan city council approved a number of recommendations regarding the 2024 civic election during the June 10 meeting.

The election is slated for Nov. 13. In a report to council, city clerk Judy Pilloud wrote there would be one polling station at the Estevan Church of God on election day. There will also be two drive-thru polling locations, one on the north side of the city and the other on the south.

Pilloud noted that having one polling station means fewer election workers at a time when many retirees will be out of the country. As for the drive-thru polling station, there was one in 2020 and it had long lineups.

Should citizens in the hospital or a care home require a ballot on election day, arrangements can be made for a mail-in ballot to be dropped off and picked up by 4:30 p.m.

Electoral information will be added to the city's website and will be updated as the voting date approaches. Voter ID information and registration forms will be added to the city website under elections.

Nomination papers will be available at the city clerk's office on Sept. 1. The call for nominations will be issued on Sept. 24, and nominations will close on Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. Candidates will have until 4 p.m. the following day to withdraw.

If a second call for nominations is needed, the deadline to file would be Oct. 23. 

An advance poll is slated for Oct. 29.

Candidates must be at least 18 years of age on election day, cannot be disqualified pursuant to the Elections Act or any other act, must be a Canadian citizen; have resided in the city of Estevan at least three consecutive months and Saskatchewan for at least six months immediately preceding the date a nomination paper is submitted.

Council passed several motions regarding the election. One will be to list the occupation of the candidate, a traditional measure that occurred with the exception of the last election in 2020.

Coun. Kirsten Walliser noted a person's occupation broadens the different options a voter has when trying to decide on a candidate.

Coun. Lindsay Clark wanted to know if there would be a limit on the amount of characters available for occupation, or what would happen for someone who works in more than one industry. Pilloud suggested the candidate would have to choose one profession.

Council also voted in favour of criminal record checks for candidates. The forms will be attached to the candidate's nomination paper and will hang at city hall.

"It doesn't not allow you to actually be part of the process, it just identifies if you have a criminal record," said Pilloud.

Coun. Shelly Veroba added a criminal record wouldn't be listed on the ballot.

Mail-in ballots will be back for the 2024 election, after they were used for 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pilloud said it proved to be helpful four years ago and about 250 mail-in ballots were submitted. It was a cumbersome process, but allowed more people to vote.

"I'm suspecting that snowbirds would like the opportunity to vote," said Pilloud.

Veroba added it should also make it easier for seniors and other people who can't get out to the polling station.

Names on the ballots will be listed alphabetically. Pilloud noted other communities have used rotational ballots, with names listed at random, but they are more expensive.

Finally, candidates will be required to file an election expense disclosure form that has been in place since 2012. If a candidate does not present all information by May 2025, the person will not be eligible to be on council.

Walliser suggested revisiting the campaign expense bylaw. Pilloud said council could do so for educational purposes, but if council wants to make changes, they would need to happen immediately. Coun. Tony Sernick voted against reopening the bylaw.

The city typically hires 30 people to help run the polling stations and mobile polls. Election workers are paid $50 to attend a training session, and are compensated based on their job on election day.