Michael Boda: We all should take pride in our commitment to democracy

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Admittedly, as Chief Electoral Officer for Saskatchewan, I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to elections.

Throughout my career, whether working internationally or for the past 12 years here in my home province of Saskatchewan, witnessing an election is always a special, dare I say heartwarming, occasion.

There is something about watching democracy in action that should remind us of how fortunate we are to live in Saskatchewan, and in Canada. When ordinary, everyday citizens cast their ballot for the candidate or party of their choice, they are expressing their commitment to not only the province and its future, but to each other.

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Every action by individual voters is a demonstration of their belief and trust in our system of free and fair elections for all. I want to personally thank everyone who turned out to show their belief in and support for democracy.

This is especially gratifying for all of us at Elections Saskatchewan. As our province’s independent election management body, our overarching focus in this election was to broaden access to the vote. Key to that was instituting a “Voting Week” of six full days of voting, instead of Election Day with a limited number of advance voting opportunities.

What made the six days of Voting Week feel even more special is that we saw an increase in voter turnout. More than 56 percent of eligible voters cast their ballot, a four percent increase from the 2020 election. It represents one step, albeit a small one, in efforts to raise the participation rate in the democratic process.

Citizens were able to take advantage of five consecutive days of the polls being open for nine hours a day, followed by the final day of voting when voting stations were open for 11 hours. In other words, a record 56 hours to vote in person. On the final day of voting, we added 413 new voting locations, mostly in rural areas, to further broaden access to the vote.

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We went even further to increase access for those who were unable to get to vote in person. We put increased emphasis on vote by mail, a safe and secure method of voting that more than 26,000 citizens took advantage of.

We also offered homebound voting for those with disabilities preventing them from voting in person. In those cases, Elections Saskatchewan came to where people live so that they could cast their ballot.

None of this was possible without the commitment and dedication of around 5,000 people who worked long days during Voting Week. They laboured even longer hours on the final day of voting. After working for 11 hours that day, they then turned their minds to counting votes, often late into the evening and, in a few instances, even the early morning hours.

Everyone who took part, whether your friends and neighbours who worked the election itself or the 470,000 who cast their ballots, demonstrated their commitment to their province, each other, and to democracy.

And no sooner had we completed the provincial election process than days later municipal elections were held. Again, Saskatchewan people stepped forward to ensure their voices were heard.

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Quite frankly, the last month was for me evidence that democracy in Saskatchewan is strong and vibrant.

Michael Boda has been Chief Electoral Officer of Saskatchewan since 2012. For the past three decades, he has offered advice on electoral issues around globe, including in Jordan, Pakistan, Ghana, Scotland, and the United States. 

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