While there has been a lot of talk about the provincial election, another important vote is also coming up this fall. Municipal elections are scheduled to be held across Saskatchewan, including here in Weyburn, this fall.  

At Monday night’s meeting of Weyburn City Council, the details about the election were discussed, including what the important dates are. 

“We are going to have a notice of call for nominations, which will be September 24th, and nomination day will be October 9th,” explained City Clerk Tina Clay, who will also be the returning officer for the election. “We’ll be accepting mail-in ballot applications up until November 12th at 4:00 p.m. Advanced polls are November 7th and 9th. We’ll have homebound polls, if needed, on November 6th and 7th. Special polls will be November 13th, as well, election day is November 13th at the Credit Union Spark Centre.” 

The council also confirmed that this election will once again use electronic counting on election day. The method was used for the municipal election in 2020 and was positively received. It was not used for the byelection in 2023, as it was determined to not be cost-effective.  

For those who are interested in throwing their hat in the ring, they do have time to prepare for the decision. Nomination packages won’t be available until after the summer. Once the packages are available, potential candidates can get one, which includes a candidates booklet, nomination forms, public disclosure forms, and candidate profile requirements. In order to be nominated, a candidate must also have their papers signed by at least five voters of the municipality, and have the papers submitted by 4:00 p.m. on voting day.  

As for who will be eligible to vote, Clay said those who cast a ballot must be a Canadian citizen, and 18 years of age or older. There are a few other requirements as well. 

“They have to have resided in Saskatchewan for at least six consecutive months preceding the day of the election, and have resided in our municipality, or on land in the municipality, for at least three consecutive months immediately preceding the day of the election,” Clay stated. 

The voting rules apply to all municipal elections in Saskatchewan.