Plans for 2020 Municipal and School Board Elections, in Saskatoon, are moving forward.
City Council approved the number of polling stations and location, on April 27. This year Saskatoon will see 66 polling areas for the November election, up from 62 in 2016 and 60 in 2012.
Scott Bastian, returning officer with the City of Saskatoon, says the polling jump is due to new neighbourhood expansion. With development and more population in the Blairmore, Brighton, Kensington and Aspen Ridge areas, it’s warranted to have more polling stations to provide access to those neighbourhoods. With a number of new schools available, many people will also be able to vote in their own neighbourhood for the first time.
Bastian says next steps will be challenging with the pandemic, but will include a lot of communication and information for voters and candidates. This will include targeted information for neighbourhoods that have moved into a new ward for the election.
Bastian adds the city will monitor other jurisdictions and see what other ideas come up across the country, as they continue planning, and are currently waiting on direction from the province when it comes to running an election during the pandemic. The municipal election is set for November 9th.
Click Here for a List of Polling Station Locations