Sask. chief electoral officer offers suggestions to modernize elections

Elections in Saskatchewan may soon look a lot different.

Micheal Boda, the province's chief electoral officer, has outlined how he thinks elections could be modernized. In a report on the 2020 election, Boda suggests possible legislative changes that he says could better serve voters.

These could include things like "Vote Anywhere" locations, which would allow any voter from any constituency to vote anywhere in the province. Other changes could include an electronic voter registry system, as well as scanners that tabulate the physical ballot.

Things like tweaking the province's political finance system, allowing for increased collaboration with municipalities and an allowance for addressing disinformation related to electoral processes are all also on the table.

Now that the report has been tabled, it's up to legislators to implement the solutions — or not.

Boda said in an interview that Saskatchewanians are looking for more flexibility during election time. That's why he has proposed and election "period" rather than an election "day" moving forward. 

The 2020 election was the first time more than half of those who voted did so in advance polls, Boda said. One in eight voters voted by mail last election as well, he said. 

"There is a movement toward taking advantage of a broader approach to voting. COVID obviously had an impact on that, but this is not new. It has been a transition over time," he said.

Boda emphasized that these modernization measures are meant to elevate security and trust in the system, and improve access. 

"People are so engaged with technology these days — when they go to the bank, when they go to the grocery store — that when they come into the polling location, they're actually confused as to why there isn't technology available in order to speed this process," he said. 

If legislators want to implement these recommendations, it would be ideal to get them passed in the upcoming session, Boda said.