REGINA - While many voters are focusing on the provincial election, the City of Regina is preparing for its election on Nov. 13 to decide the next mayor, city councillors and school board trustees.
On Thursday inside City Hall, Regina city officials gave details regarding the upcoming election. Jim Nicol, Regina City Clerk, talked about the process of casting a ballot.
“There are very clear instructions [on the ballot]. You have to fill it in just in the little oval that's there, just like you would typically. And then it goes in a secrecy sleeve. And then you give that to the deputy returning officer who is manning the vote tabulating machine, and they put it in the sleeve, and it grabs the ballot,” said Nicol.
Regina residents can either vote in person at 34 locations across the city on Nov. 13, vote during advance polling between Nov. 1-4, apply for mobile polls where a representative from the city can come and cast a vote for a resident between Nov. 1-13 or submit a request to vote by mail. There are also special polls for those who reside in hospitals, senior centres or special care facilities.
According to Nicol, roughly 200,000 people are eligible to participate in this election. To meet those requirements, a resident must be at least 18 years old and fulfill other requirements.
This election will see 93 different people run for electoral office. Those include candidates for the mayor, city council and school board trustees. Nicol said the number of people running for the election is about eight to 10 more than in 2020. He said it shows citizens are more engaged in the issues facing Regina and want to help contribute to the city.
City council, in particular, will see new faces as six councillors are not seeking re-election. Ward 4 Coun. Lori Bresciani is now running to become mayor while councillors Cheryl Stadnichuk, John Findura, Andrew Stevens, Landon Mohl, and Dan LeBlanc will not run for city council again.
Nicol said it will take time for new city councillors to absorb all the information and understand the budget, bylaws, and procedures. By learning all that information, Nicol believes councillors will have a broader viewpoint and become more open-minded.
While the city is encouraged by the number of candidates, they are concerned about potential voter fatigue with all the elections occurring around the same time. The provincial election in Saskatchewan is happening on Oct. 28, while the U.S. is deciding their next president on Nov. 5.
Despite the concerns, Nicol is confident in the city's communication team for getting the word out regarding the election, including billboards and promotions.
The voting station will open from 9 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Nov. 13. The city said once the time hits 8 p.m., no more ballots will be accepted. To learn more information about the election, visit regina.ca/elections.
