Residents interested in voting in Prairie South School Division’s upcoming byelection can do so by mail-in ballot if they cannot make it to one of four polling stations on election day.
During their recent board meeting, Prairie South trustees agreed to accept mail-in ballots for voting in subdivision No. 6 — City of Moose Jaw — during the Thursday, March 9 byelection.
Section 92 of The Local Governance Election Act allows boards to pass resolutions to create a mail-in ballot voting system, a board report explained.
A bylaw or resolution must not extend the period for the receipt of mail-in ballots beyond the closing of the polls on election day, the act says, while the deputy returning officer is to deem ballots received after polls close on election day spoiled and should deal with those ballots as per section 118(2).
As part of the byelection process, Prairie South has posted information about voting and mail-in ballots on its website, with instructions on how to request a vote using the mail-in ballot system.
Anyone wishing to vote must also live in Moose Jaw. Also, interested residents must submit their nomination forms to the board office by Thursday, Feb. 2, at 4 p.m.
Meanwhile, the division has created four polling locations where residents can vote.
An advance poll is at the division office on Ninth Avenue Northwest, while the main polling locations are Riverview Collegiate at 650 Coteau Street West, A.E. Peacock Collegiate at 145 Ross Street East and Sunningdale School at 530 Wood Lily Drive.
“We did do it (mail-in voting) in the last byelection. I think we only had four (ballots),” business superintendent Ron Purdy told trustees. “We want to make it available just in case.”
The board office will post all nominee forms at the board office and online when they come in, he added.
Visit www.prairiesouth.ca/elections/# for more information.
The next Prairie South board meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 7.
