(file photo/CKOM News Staff)

By Angela Brown

Election 2020

Advance polls now open for provincial election voting

Oct 20, 2020 | 12:57 PM

While the provincial election is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 26, constituents also have the option to vote in the advance polls open now.

Advance voting is open for five days, from Tuesday, Oct. 20 to Saturday, Oct. 24, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. each day.

People are asked to check on their voter information card or online to find out their advance voting location.

All voters will need to bring proper identification and wear a mask when they go to vote.

Elections Saskatchewan spokesperson Tim Kydd said due in part to the pandemic, more advance poll locations are offered this year so people have more options to vote early.

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“It’s a combination of a couple of things — one is the trend of advance voting turnout in Canada,” Kydd said. “Every province, and federally, have noticed an increase over the last 20 years of the number of people wanting to vote on one of the advance days rather than on election day.”

He said another factor is the presence of COVID-19 and the pandemic protocols in place.

“Primarily for us it’s the physical distancing, and the space we want to allow in our polls,” he said. “So we have more locations this year, about 50 more advance locations around the province. We’re hoping to spread out the traffic and keep sufficient space between voters and [elections] workers.”

In the local area, for the Battlefords constituency, advance polls are available at three locations: the Don Ross Centre (Chapel Gallery), Northland Power Curling Centre (CUplex), both in North Battleford, as well as at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #9 in Battleford.

For Cut Knife-Turtleford, advance polls are at six locations: Cut Knife Community Centre, Edam Senior Centre, Maidstone Senior Citizen Drop-In Centre, North Battleford Seniors Citizen Action Now Club Inc. (ramp entrance), Saskcan Community Centre Hall (Wilkie), and Unity New Horizons Hall.

For the Biggar-Sask Valley constituency, advance voting is available at five locations: Asquith Senior Centre, Biggar New Horizons (Queen St. entrance), Hague Municipal Hall, Radisson Communiplex, and Sonningdale Complex.

For the Meadow Lake constituency, advance polls are offered at five locations: Leoville Hall, Loon Lake Legion, Senior Citizens Activity Centre in Meadow Lake, Silver Threads Seniors Club in Goodsoil, and St. Walburg Parish Centre.

For the Lloydminster constituency, people can vote in advance at four locations: Lloydminster Agricultural Exhibition Association (Prairie Room); Onion Lake Sports, Culture and Recreation Building; Paradise Hill Community Centre; and Pierceland Community Hall.

—

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW