elections.sk.ca Voter Registration FAQs : Saskatchewan

Organisation : Elections Saskatchewan
Facility : Voter Registration FAQs
Province : Saskatchewan
Country : Canada

Voter Registration FAQs : https://www.elections.sk.ca/
Home page : http://www.elections.sk.ca/

Voter Registration FAQs :
VOTER ELIGIBILITY :
Am I eligible to vote?
Canadian citizens, aged 18 or older, who have resided in Saskatchewan for six months or longer are all eligible voters. Are you a Canadian citizen? Are you or will you be 18 years old or older as of November 2, 2015? Have you resided in Saskatchewan since April 6, 2015? You are an eligible voter. There are also special eligibility rules for Canadian military personnel, post-secondary students and some British subjects. Details about these special eligibility rules can be found on our website at www.elections.sk.ca/voterregistration.

My son/daughter is out of province for school are they still eligible to vote?
Students who have been living in Saskatchewan, but have moved to attend a school away from where they have been living, are permitted to register either at the:
residential address from which they moved; or
at the address of the location where they currently live while studying.

However, each student can only be registered at one address of residence — it is their own personal choice as to which address that should be.

I’m originally from Ontario but now living in Saskatchewan as a student. Can I vote?
You might be eligible to vote in Saskatchewan. The 6-month residency requirement is waived for post-secondary students but you must still be over 18 and a Canadian citizen.

The letter refers to some British subjects being eligible to vote. What is the criteria to qualify for this?
A small group of individuals who are not Canadian citizens are eligible to vote if they are:
a British subject who was qualified as a voter on June 23, 1971 (were 18 years of age or older on June 23, 1971 (born on June 23, 1953 or earlier); and
ordinarily resident in Saskatchewan for at least six months immediately preceding the day on which the writ is issued; and
ordinarily resident in the constituency on the day the writ was issued.

I’m from Saskatchewan and in the military, currently serving overseas. Can I vote in the provincial election?
Yes, members of the Canadian Forces and their family members who are eligible voters who are required to leave their residence in Saskatchewan to serve outside the province are permitted to remain registered as a provincial voter at the address where they resided before moving.

I’m from Ontario and in the military and serving in Saskatchewan. Can I vote?
Yes, as long as you are over 18 and a Canadian citizen you and any eligible family members living with you can vote in Sasktchewan.

When will the next provincial election be held?
According to provincial law, elections are scheduled to occur every four years, on the first Monday in November. However, the law also states that if a federal election conflicts with a provincial election, the provincial election is delayed until the first Monday in April of the following year. Therefore, the next provincial election date will be April 4, 2016.

I thought the election was in October?
That is the federal election, not the provincial election, which will take place on October 19, 2015.

How will my voter registration information be used?
Registered voters will be advised, via mail, of the dates, times and locations of advance and regular voting sites established in their community. Voters lists, showing the names and addresses of voters assigned to each voting station, are printed and used to ensure each voter only votes once.

Will my voter information be stored or re-used?
Yes, information from this current voter registration period will be entered into an ongoing register of voters that will be maintained for use in future provincial elections. This register will be maintained using updates from various government databases. You can also update your information at any time.

How is voter information shared?
Information on registered voters can only be used for electoral purposes. Voters list information is shared with registered political parties and election candidates, but the information can only be used for election purposes.Elections SK has a formal information sharing agreement with Elections Canada, and may establish such agreements with provincial municipal election authorities in the future. Unless a voter specifically asks not to have their information stored in the provincial register of voters, their name will appear on voters lists published at each election and will be shared with provincially registered political parties, candidates and with Elections Canada.

What if I don’t want to be registered?
You are not required to register if you do not intend to vote. You may request to be excluded from registration during the current voter registration process. If you intend to vote, but you do not want to be included in the provincial register of voters, you may register at the time of voting.

Where did you get my information from?
This information was provided to Elections SK by Elections Canada. Elections SK has a formal information sharing agreement with Elections Canada. When you allowed Elections Canada to add you to their voter list you agreed to share that info with Elections SK. You may have given that consent on your Income Tax and Benefit Form (T1 General) or at any time that Elections Canada reached you during an enumeration from any previous general elections or by-elections.

I didn’t give you permission to have this information?
When you allowed Elections Canada to add you to their voters list, you also agreed to share that info with Elections SK.

I’ve never voted in a provincial election. How did you get my info?
Elections Canada created a national register of voters in 1997 and has maintained information on registered voters in Saskatchewan for the past 18 years. Elections SK recently signed an information sharing agreement with Elections Canada and has access to this information for the first time.

ENUMERATION/VOTER REGISTRATION PROCESS :
Why are you doing this now?
Recent legislative changes allow Elections SK to create and maintain a permanent register of voters for Saskatchewan. A key step to this process is registering all eligible Saskatchewan voters and starting early gives us the best chance of ensuring all elibigle voters are added to the list before election day.

Why is no one coming to my door?
Through the information sharing agreement between Elections Canada and Elections SK, the majority of federally registered voters were added to the provincial register of voters without the need for a province-wide door-to-door enumeration.

Why did my friend have someone come to the door and I didn’t?
There are some targeted areas in Saskatchewan that require an in-person, door-to-door enumeration, such as areas of new development and high mobility.

How do I know this person works for Elections SK?
They will have ID with them.

Why can’t I do this online?
You can. Go to elections.sk.ca/voterregistration and you can register or update your information online.

Why is my dead relative on the letter?
We’re sorry that this happened. We used the information we received from Elections Canada to populate the letters. You can contact us by phone, mail or online to update this information so that it won’t happen again.

My address is wrong!
We can correct that for you. If you contact us by phone, mail or online with your new information, we will update your voter record.

Why do I have to be registered in order to vote?
Registration of voters is a legal requirement associated with safeguards used to ensure that each voter only votes once. If you are registered in advance of an election, Elections SK will send you a Voter Information Card (VIC) which will advise of the locations, dates and hours that voting will be available in your area. This includes Advance Voting and Election Day voting locations and opening times. Also, registering in advance of polling day will speed up the voting process.

Why can’t I just wait and register to vote at the time of the election?
Registering at the time of voting is an option that is always available. However, if many people choose this option the lineups for registration at voting locations will become very long. Anyone who registers at the time of voting must provide identification documents that prove their identity and address of residence and complete form in the presence of election officers.

I don’t want to vote. Is it necessary that I register as an eligible voter?
Neither voter registration nor voting are mandatory anywhere in Canada. If you do not wish to vote, it is your choice as to whether you wish to keep your options open by being registered.