May has been declared as Voter Registration month, and Elections Saskatchewan has two goals when it comes to improving voter numbers.

Tim Kydd, Senior Director of Outreach and Communications at Elections Saskatchewan, says voting numbers have been on a downward trend since 1980. The first goal is to encourage new registrations with youth ages 18-24, as they are severely underrepresented. They have created classroom material, activities, and a teacher’s guide available on their website that are geared towards grade 11 and 12s about how easy it is to register and vote.

The second goal is to communicate with those who are already registered but have moved or changed their name and get the most accurate information possible. Kydd says the there is a strong correlation between those who are registered and those who show up at the polls when the time comes. He adds that making registration and voting convenient and accessible is key to enhancing voter numbers. He concludes that registering is simple and can be done online at elections.sk.ca in just a few minutes. If someone doesn’t have access to a computer, they can call Elections Saskatchewan and register that way, as well.