With by-elections taking place in three counties in the province, Elections Saskatchewan says it will test new methods, such as new voting methods and also counting the votes.

To increase efficiency, the organization decided to introduce counting and counting by machines.

Michael Boda, Saskatchewan Electoral Board Chairman, sees the changes as an opportunity to advance the province’s electoral system.

It indicates that the goal is to strengthen the integrity of a system that dates back to 1905.

It is outdated and really not relevant to 21st century democracy in Saskatchewanclaims Michael Boda.

This choice allowed Saskatchewan to enter a period of modernization.

He adds that the establishment of electronic electoral rolls instead of the traditional paper electoral rolls is a novelty introduced in connection with this election. Michael Broda believes this process allows for faster turnaround and saves employees time.

The Executive Director of Elections Saskatchewan is pleased that the integration of these new technologies has already proven itself. He explains that this gives the electoral authority the opportunity to reduce staffing requirements on election days.

The goal of the organization is to implement the changes for the 2024 provincial elections.

Increase participation

For political scientist Stephen Kenny, these by-elections will allow lawmakers to determine whether the new methods can work in a general election.

For example, for these by-elections, Elections Saskatchewan referred to all dates on which polling stations were open as “voting days.”

I am very curious to see whether, for example, there will be an increase in the number of votes after 6 election daysemphasizes Stephen Kenny.

The political scene observer also believes it will be an opportunity to see if new technologies will attract more voters.

By-elections are known for their very low turnout. So it will be interesting to know if these reforms can reverse the normal trend through more participation.

With information from Perrine Pinel and Coralie Hodgson