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October 2013

a path for renewal

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E L E C T I O N S S A S K A T C H E W A N

C H I E F E L E C T O R A L O F F I C E R ’ S A S S E S S M E N T

Toward a Permanent Register of Voters for Saskatchewan

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER

(ELECTIONS SASKATCHEWAN)

1702 PARK STREET, REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN

CANADA S4N 6B2

TELEPHONE: (306) 787-4000 / 1-877-958-8683

FACSIMILE: (306) 787-4052 / 1-866-678-4052

WEB SITE: www.elections.sk.ca

OCTOBER 2013

ISBN 978-0-9921510-0-3

TOWARD A PERMANENT REGISTER OF VOTERS FOR SASKATCHEWAN - CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER’S ASSESSMENT—2013-1 (v2.0)

October 29, 2013

The Honourable Dan D’AutremontSpeaker of the Legislative Assembly129 Legislative BuildingRegina, SaskatchewanS4S 0B3

Honourable Speaker:

I have the distinct privilege of presenting Toward a Permanent Register of Voters for Saskatchewan, a publication withinthe Chief Electoral Officer’s Assessment series, to the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael Boda, D.Phil., Ph.D.Chief Electoral OfficerProvince of Saskatchewan

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER

1702 PARK STREET PHONE: 306.787.4000REGINA, SASKATCHEWAN TOLL FREE: 1.877.958.8683CANADA S4N 6B2 FAX: 306.787.4052EMAIL: [email protected] www.elections.sk.ca TOLL FREE FAX: 1.866.678.4052

a path for renewal

T O WA R D A P E R M A N E N T R E G I S T E R O F V O T E R S F O R S A S K AT C H E WA N

Executive Summary (3)

About Elections Saskatchewan (5)Our Values (5)Our Responsibilities (6)

1.0 Introduction (9)

2.0 Purpose of Voter Registration (9)

3.0 Enumeration and Revision (10)The Challenges of Enumeration (10) Access to Voters (10) Privacy and Personal Safety (10) Recruiting and Retaining Enumerators (10) Rural vs. Urban Enumeration (11) Quality of the Information Collected (11) Labour Costs (11) Summary (11)

4.0 Permanent Register of Voters (12)

5.0 Enumeration vs. Permanent Register (13)Currency (13)Coverage (14)Accuracy (15)Other Factors to Consider (15) Timeliness (15) Security and Privacy (15) Alerting Voters (16)

6.0 Comparing the Costs (17)Enumeration Costs (17)Permanent Register Costs (17) Development Costs (17) Maintenance Costs (18) Target Enumeration Costs (19)Cost Saving of a Permanent Register of Voters (19)

7.0 Timing of Implementation (20)

8.0 Guiding Principles (21)

9.0 Recommendations (23)Board of Internal Economy Consensus (23)Legislative Amendments (23)Additional Resources (23)

Acknowledgements (24)

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a path for renewal


Since 2004 there have been calls for apermanent register of voters to replaceenumeration as the preferred approach toregistering voters in Saskatchewan. Thismove was recommended by an all-partycommittee looking at amendments to TheElection Act, 1996 and by the head ofElections Saskatchewan.

Elections Saskatchewan has beenpreparing for a change towards apermanent register of voters. Its electionmanagement information system wasdeveloped to accommodate a permanentregister of voters, and the organizationhas been positioning itself for thetransition by recommending otherlegislative changes that would supportthe introduction of a register. While someof the supporting changes have been putin place, such as set date elections andthe ability to conduct enumerationoutside of the writ period, there is still noauthority to create and maintain apermanent register of voters forSaskatchewan. Currently, Saskatchewanis one of only three Canadian provincesand territories that do not compile theirvoters lists using a permanent register.The other jurisdictions are the Yukon andManitoba.

Voter registration is important todetermine whether individuals qualify tovote. It serves to protect the integrity ofthe voting process by ensuring that onlyeligible voters will be given access to thevoting booth. The list is used at the pollsto screen prospective voters—ensuringthat only those entitled to vote are given aballot and that people are only permittedto vote once. The voters list has alsobecome a critical tool for political partiesand candidates for the purposes ofidentifying, tracking and campaigning forvoter support. In addition, it is essentialfor election administrators in establishingpolling divisions and estimating howmany polling stations are needed, as wellas determining where to deploy pollingday workers.

The traditional approach to compiling thelist of voters has been through door-to-door enumeration. The list that iscompiled is discarded after the electionand the process begins again every fouryears in preparation for the next election.This is a labour intensive and costlyactivity. Today, however, fewer people areat home when the enumerator calls andpeople are becoming more reluctant toopen their doors to someone they do notknow. It is also becoming increasinglymore difficult to recruit enumerators. Theoverall quality of the voters list can sufferfrom all of these factors. For thesereasons, most jurisdictions in Canadahave transitioned to a continuouslyupdated permanent register of voters.

A permanent register of voters is aregularly updated database of eligiblevoters. It is usually produced the first timefrom a “final” enumeration and then isupdated and maintained on an ongoingbasis using a variety of public sector datasources. In addition to the names andaddresses of voters, a permanent registerwill contain date of birth information andmay provide a unique identificationnumber that can be used for recordlinking. Voters lists can be produced froma permanent register whenever necessaryfor use in provincial elections, localelections or by-elections. With minorlegislative changes, it can be distributedbetween elections for use by Membersand political parties. Up-to-date lists canalso be used to revise polling divisionboundaries between elections or whenconstituency boundaries change as aresult of redistribution.

Since enumeration usually occurs in closeproximity to the election event, it isusually very current. However, thecoverage or completeness of a voters listproduced from a permanent register canbe superior to an enumerated list,principally because it is beingcontinuously updated and is not

recollected before each election. Thecoverage of a voters list prepared throughenumeration is dependent on thecompleteness of the enumeration effortand is subject to a variety of factors thatmay not always be within the control ofelection administrators.

The major benefit of establishing apermanent register of voters is significantcost avoidance. Saskatchewan’s lastenumeration cost $2.58 million.Enumeration costs will be incurred everyfour years and will only increase everyelection cycle. The majority of these costswould not need to be incurred with amove to a permanent register. The initialdevelopment costs of establishing apermanent register for Saskatchewanhave been estimated at $125,000. Thisminimal amount of upfront expenditure ispossible because ElectionsSaskatchewan already has an electionmanagement system that can houserecords that form the permanent register.The other cost component of apermanent register is the ongoingmaintenance. The annual costs ofkeeping a permanent register up-to-dateare estimated to be $328,400. Over afour-year election cycle, the cost savingsof moving to a permanent register wouldbe more than $880,000.

Elections Saskatchewan is wellpositioned to develop a permanentregister of voters for Saskatchewan. It willrequire legislative changes to The ElectionAct to provide authority for registerdevelopment in advance of the nextgeneral election, the approval ofadditional information technology (IT)resources to begin development work,and one final enumeration to establish thebasis of the register.

Michael D. Boda, D.Phil., Ph.D.Chief Electoral OfficerProvince of Saskatchewan

Executive Summary

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About Elections Saskatchewan

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The many component parts involved inplanning, organizing and implementingelections in Saskatchewan are overseenby what is often described as an electionmanagement body (EMB). In Canada, anEMB is an independent, nonpartisaninstitution that is responsible for neutralelection administration within ajurisdiction governed as a democracy.

In this province, Elections Saskatchewanfulfills this mandate, serving as secretariatto the statutory Office of Chief ElectoralOfficer. Elections Saskatchewan has aleadership team based at its head officein Regina and dispersed across theprovince’s 61 newly definedconstituencies that will each elect aMember of the Legislative Assembly inthe upcoming 28th General Election.

In the months leading to a generalelection, Saskatchewan’s electoralservice grows to include about 10,000provincial residents from all walks of life,each serving provincial voters inimplementing an event that isfundamental to sustainingSaskatchewan’s democratic traditions.

OUR VALUESElections Saskatchewan’s values are:

• To be independent and nonpartisan,ensuring public confidence in theindependence of ElectionsSaskatchewan and its activities bytreating all stakeholders equally andwithout preference.

• To have integrity, making certain thatevery decision and every actionenhances the democratic rights of allelectors by interpreting and applyinglegislation and policy fairly andconsistently.

• To be open and transparent in allactivities through consistency ofaction, regular public reporting, broadcommunications and informationsharing between and during electoralevents.

• To be accountable to electors and theMembers of the SaskatchewanLegislative Assembly throughstatutory reporting of activity andperformance against publishedstandards and the requirements of

legislative and regulatory frameworksfor electoral events and electionfinances.

• To be efficient in designing processesand ensuring financial accountabilitythrough the development, management and deployment of up-to-date and cost-effectivetechnology, processes, accesschannels and tools that encouragemaximum participation and facilitatemaximum compliance with financialreporting obligations.

• To be effective in electoral eventdelivery procedures and operations,to minimize barriers to compliance,participation and access to theelectoral process for electors,candidates and parties and to ensureelection workers are well prepared,processes are well designed andperformance measurement systemsare in place.

• To be innovative, creative and flexiblein delivering present obligations andpreparing for the future, lookingbroadly for opportunities and

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partnerships while consideringelectoral process needs and adopting optimal solutions.

• To be consultative with all of ourstakeholders, using advisorycommittees to evaluate legislative,regulatory and operationalframeworks to ensure that they arecurrent and relevant, regularlyreviewing all stakeholder perspectivesand needs, and sharing evaluations ofElections Saskatchewan’sperformance.

• To be professional in all our activities by bringing toSaskatchewan the best practices inelectoral administration from acrossCanada and democracies around theworld.

• To create a cooperative workenvironment and encourage allmembers of the ElectionsSaskatchewan team to work together,and with Elections Saskatchewan’sstakeholders and partners, to betterserve the electorate ofSaskatchewan.

OUR RESPONSIBILITIESThe Head Office Leadership Team

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) is anindependent officer of the SaskatchewanLegislature. As head of ElectionsSaskatchewan, the CEO ensures the fairand equitable conduct of operational,administrative and financial electoralpractices. The CEO is assisted in theselegislated responsibilities by a head officeleadership team.

Elections Saskatchewan’s primaryresponsibility is to maintain a state ofprovincial election readiness. To that end,Elections Saskatchewan must appointand train requisite numbers ofconstituency returning officers andelection officials to ensure electoralpreparedness throughout thegovernment’s mandate.

The Election Act, 1996 places a duty onthe CEO to assist registered politicalparties, candidates, chief official agentsand business managers to ensure TheElection Act’s financial transparency anddisclosure goals are met. ElectionsSaskatchewan publishes guides for chiefofficial agents and business managers to

help them fulfill their administrative andfinancial reporting responsibilities andcompile requisite support documentation,and to ensure annual financial disclosuresare undertaken in accordance with bothThe Election Act and The PoliticalContributions Tax Credit Act, 2001(Saskatchewan).

Where applicable, ElectionsSaskatchewan is responsible forassessing and reimbursing electionexpenses paid from the province’sGeneral Revenue Fund. ElectionsSaskatchewan has established a financialreview system to certify publicreimbursement of election expensesthrough the examination and audit ofregistered political parties’ andcandidates’ expense returns and requisitedisclosure documentation. To promotetransparency, expense return details aretabled in the Legislative Assembly.

Elections Saskatchewan is alsoresponsible for investigating offencesunder The Election Act . While TheElection Act is regulatory rather thancriminal, the role of Elections Saskatchewan is to inspect, investigateand inquire about instances where

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contravention of The Election Act issuspected or alleged, as deemednecessary by the CEO. Since thisresponsibility is a matter of considerablediscretion and is often initiated bycomplaints filed by interested parties, it isincumbent upon Elections Saskatchewanto consider whether any specific situationhas abrogated the overall purpose, policyrationale and/or legislative intent of theprovince’s electoral legislation.

Elections Saskatchewan maintains anoutreach program to ensure politicalstakeholders and the public are aware ofimportant aspects of ElectionsSaskatchewan’s mandate by responding topublic enquiries and liaising with registeredpolitical parties, candidates and their chiefofficial agents and business managers.

The CEO reports annually to the speakerof the Legislative Assembly on mattersrelated to The Election Act . In addition tosuch annual reporting, the CEO alsoprepares and tables reports in theLegislative Assembly on all electoralevents. Provincial election results arepublished in the Statement of Votes(Volume I) and its complement, the Reportof the Chief Electoral Officer: Campaign Contributions and Expenditures (Volume

II). Administrative and financial reportingof constituency by-elections isencapsulated in individual Statement ofBy-Election reports.

The environment within which ElectionsSaskatchewan is accountable is uniqueand complex due to the potentialuncertainty of the provincial electoralcycle, the decentralized nature of electoraladministration, and the interaction amongregistered political parties, candidates andthe electorate. The integration of thisdecentralized process among theprovince’s political stakeholders rests withElections Saskatchewan and itscentralized administration and impartialapplication of The Election Act .

The Field Leadership TeamWhile central electoral administration isthe responsibility of ElectionsSaskatchewan’s head office leadershipteam, regional and constituency-levelconduct of electoral events is theresponsibility of a field leadership team.

Supervisory returning officers (SROs),each representing a different zone of theprovince comprising six or sevenconstituencies, are responsible forassisting the returning officers within

those constituencies in performing theirduties. SROs receive their direction fromElections Saskatchewan, act as a liaisonbetween Elections Saskatchewan headoffice and the constituency returningofficers, and are responsible for ensuringelectoral events are administered andconducted to a consistently highstandard across the province.

An important part of maintaining electionreadiness is having constituency returningofficers for all of the province’s 61constituencies. The CEO appoints theconstituency returning officers. Notices ofall such appointments/cancellations arepublished in The Saskatchewan Gazette.Returning officer vacancies are filled byan independent merit-based competition.

As representatives of ElectionsSaskatchewan, constituency returningofficers are entrusted with upholding theneutrality of the province’s decentralizedelectoral process within the constituencyand are responsible for theadministration, conduct and reporting ofelectoral proceedings (general or by-elections, referendums and plebiscites).

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In the 2004 report of Saskatchewan’s all-party committee on revisions to TheElection Act, 1996, it was unanimouslyrecommended that a permanent registerof voters be developed. The developmentof such a register was to be based on afinal enumeration completed outside ofan election period. When otheramendments to The Election Act wereintroduced in the Legislative Assembly in2005, the Minister of Justice at the timecalled the introduction of a permanent listof voters the most important amendmentto The Election Act. Although it wasanticipated that enabling legislation andregulations would soon follow, no furtherprovisions were enacted to permit thedevelopment of a permanent register ofvoters for Saskatchewan.

Following the 2007 provincial generalelection, Elections Saskatchewanrecommended to the LegislativeAssembly that legislative amendments bedeveloped to permit the creation of apermanent register of voters. TheLegislative Assembly and ExecutiveCouncil Act, 2007 was amended in 2008to give Saskatchewan a four-year setdate schedule for elections. With apredictable date for the 2011 election,this paved the way for ElectionsSaskatchewan to conduct a province-wide enumeration before the writs ofelection were issued. In August 2011, justprior to the November 7, 2011 generalelection, regulations were put in place topermit enumeration to occur outside thewrit period.

In February 2012, the Board of InternalEconomy asked Elections Saskatchewanto analyze the costs and operationalimpact of a permanent register ascompared with enumeration. Thefollowing report offers insight into theChief Electoral Officer’s findings,providing a recommendation oninstituting a permanent register of votersas part of a path for renewal that focuseson Saskatchewan’s approach toadministering electoral events.

a path for renewal


1.0 Introduction

The fundamental purpose of a voterregistration system is to determinewhether individuals qualify as votersaccording to the eligibility criteriaestablished in law. It serves to maintainthe integrity of the voting process byrestricting access to the voting booth. Aproperly prepared voters list ensures thatonly those people entitled to vote in agiven poll can do so, and that they canonly vote once.

Lists of eligible voters also facilitatevoting operations by helping electionadministrators determine how manyvoting stations they need to set up, howmany election workers they need to hire,and to calculate voter turnout. Acomprehensive voters list also reducesthe number of people that have toregister to vote on polling day, therebyalleviating line-ups and congestion forothers. Voters lists are also used byparties and candidates for politicalpurposes—to mobilize the participation ofvoters during campaigns and betweenelections.

Voters lists, in various forms, have beenprepared since the late 1800s. Today,there are two basic methods used inCanada to register voters. One is toconduct an enumeration and the other isto develop and maintain a permanent listof voters.

2.0 Purpose of Voter Registration

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3.0 Enumeration and RevisionSince 1917 and until very recently, voterswere registered for territorial, provincialand federal elections throughenumeration. For election administrators,this involved subdividing larger politicalareas variously called constituencies,electoral districts or divisions into smallergeographic units and appointingenumerators to visit each householdwithin an assigned area. The enumeratorswould go door-to-door to establish aresident’s eligibility, collect the necessaryvoter information and compile a list ofthose entitled to vote. The process oftenrequired several visits to find people athome.

Enumeration was usually accomplishedwithin ten to fourteen days. Traditionallythis occurred after the election had beencalled, as there were no set dates forelections until very recently. Until 2011,The Election Act, 1996 required anenumeration to be conductedimmediately following the issuing of thewrits. However, with the passage of newEnumeration Regulations in 2011,enumerations can now take place duringa two and a half week period prior to thedate set for a general election.

The lists resulting from enumeration inSaskatchewan are used solely for theelection at hand, or possibly for anotherproximal event such as a by-election, andthen discarded.

Following enumeration there is a shortperiod of revision. This is similar to anappeals process, whereby voters notenumerated may be registered andobjections to those on the lists may beheard. The final way to be entered on thevoters list is at the polls - where qualifiedvoters left off the list can be registered by

providing proof of identity and residence,swearing an oath, or having another votervouch for their identities.

The enumeration process relies heavily onthe element of trust – trust that peoplewill honestly report to enumerators theircitizenship, residency within the pollingdivision and age – and thus their eligibilityto vote. Enumerators are not permitted tochallenge the veracity of the informationthey receive at the doorstep. Suspectentries on the voters list may bechallenged during revision and by pollofficials and candidate representatives atthe voting station.

THE CHALLENGES OFENUMERATION The process of going door-to-door toregister voters and create a voters list forspecific use in elections has met severalchallenges in recent years. Emergingsocial, demographic, technological andpolitical changes have made theenumeration approach to voterregistration more difficult. Thesechallenges have been reported fordecades by election administrators, aswell as academics who have studied thismethod of voter registration.

Access to VotersIt has become increasingly difficult forenumerators to find people at home whenthey call. This concern was noted as farback as 1991 in the report of the RoyalCommission on Electoral Reform andParty Financing. Large numbers of votersappear to be absent from their homes -quite possibly away for work or lifestyle-related reasons. It has also been reportedby enumerators and returning officers inSaskatchewan and other places that

it is becoming more difficult to obtain the contact information for persons incontrol of multiple dwelling sites and gainaccess to residential units occupied byvoters.

Privacy and Personal SafetyThere are an increasing number ofresidents, particularly those living inurban centres, who refuse to answer theirdoors out of fear for their personal safetyor for reasons of privacy. Seniors,persons who live alone and newCanadians are the groups most hesitantto open their doors to enumerators. Theconcern for personal safety has also beenshared by enumerators, who are requiredto work during the day and eveningsvisiting inner city and high crimeneighbourhoods and remote locations.

Recruiting and Retaining EnumeratorsThere is also the challenge of recruiting,training and mobilizing 3,000enumerators required for the job inSaskatchewan. It is becoming moredifficult to find a sufficient pool ofcompetent individuals willing to perform this type of work. Consideringthe majority of election workers tend tobe female, the trend toward more women working outside the home has, no doubt, played a major role in reducingthe pool of available enumeration staff.The economic necessity for some people to hold multiple part-time jobs andthe surging economy in Saskatchewanhave also affected the supply of this typeof labour. In addition, there are age andresidency restrictions that reduce thepool of potential workers. Enumeratorsmust be eligible voters living in the constituency, which meansthat they must be Canadian citizens and at least eighteen years old.

Rural vs. Urban EnumerationThere are unique difficulties experiencedin both urban and rural settings. Thedifficulties of conducting a thoroughenumeration in urban settings have longbeen observed and noted in the reportsof election administrators. However, it isbecoming increasingly more problematicto obtain complete coverage in ruralareas as well. One significant factor inrural areas is the trend towards more farmfamilies working off the farm and outsideof their communities. The vast distancesbetween residences, the time required forenumeration travel, and the low paymentreceived for this task are additionalobstacles to a comprehensive ruralenumeration. In some remote northernconstituencies, there are few pavedroads, no roads into some communities,and weather can often prevent fly-invisits.

In Saskatchewan’s 2011 election, the pre-writ enumeration period that followedLabour Day coincided with the fallharvest. This made it difficult to findenumerators to do the job and difficult tofind residents at home to enumerate insome rural areas.

Quality of the Information CollectedA complete provincial enumeration is amassive undertaking for returning officersto manage. Considerable time pressures

exist to compile a comprehensive andaccurate preliminary list of voters fordistribution to candidates and parties, aswell as for use at the advance and regularpolls during the election. The legibility,accuracy and overall quality of theinformation collected are alwaysproblematic. The continual recollection ofvoter information required by enumerationcan introduce errors in the data that mayhave been accurately captured onprevious voters lists.

Labour CostsElections are a labour intensive activity.Approximately 75 percent of the cost ofelections goes to fees and salaries. Door-to-door enumeration accounts for a verylarge portion of these labour costs. Feespaid to workers, training costs and travelcan amount to as much or more than thecost to conduct the election itself. Effortsto recruit and retain competentenumerators have often focused onincreasing the remuneration for this typeof work, which adds to the burgeoningcost of elections. Provinces and territoriesoften find themselves trying to competewith the rates paid to census workers,and federal and civic enumerators.

SummaryThere is an inherent inefficiency incollecting voter information throughenumeration and then discarding the list

that has been compiled. Most of theinformation collected about voters doesnot change from one election to another.There will always be new voters added tothe rolls who gain eligibility by virtue ofage, residency or citizenship, and otherswho must be removed from the list due toloss of residency or death. New housingstock will also continue to be added andsome residential properties will bedemolished. This is vital information thatmust be captured for the voters list to bean accurate compilation of citizensentitled to vote.

Most changes to a voters list are due tointernal mobility—the movement of votersfrom one address to another within theprovince or constituency. There is afundamental link between voters and theiraddresses because where they livedetermines where they vote. ElectionsSaskatchewan must not only know whichcitizens are eligible to vote, but where thevoter lives at any given time. No voterregistration system can accurately trackall the demographic and eligibilitychanges that occur in the intervening timebetween elections, but there isconsiderable duplication of effort in anapproach to voter registration that beginswith a blank slate before each electionand continually compiles lists of namesand addresses which, for the most part,do not change.

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4.0 Permanent Register of VotersA permanent register of voters is aregularly updated database of all eligiblevoters. It is maintained and updated fromreliable public sector data sources. Apermanent register would contain all of theinformation that would normally becollected through door-to-doorenumeration, as well as some additionalunique information for linking records fromdifferent sources. Permanent registersexist for the purpose of allowing individualvoters to vote only within a givenconstituency and at a given polling station.

Permanent registers are used in mostwestern democratic countries forelections at different levels ofgovernment. Voter registration iscompulsory in Australia, Germany andBelgium, which leads to more completelists, and voluntary in the United States,France, Austria, Finland, Sweden andGreat Britain.

Elections British Columbia was the firstjurisdiction in Canada to develop a

permanent voter register in the 1940s.British Columbia was the only jurisdictionin Canada to have a permanent voterregister until the 1990s, when a numberof other jurisdictions in Canada moved tocontinuously maintained voter registers.Elections Canada dropped its longestablished post-writ enumeration systemand replaced it with a continuous nationalvoters list called the National Register ofElectors in 1996. This occurred after afinal door-to-door enumeration in April1997. Soon after, nine other jurisdictions(Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec,Ontario, Alberta, Prince Edward Island,Nunavut, Nova Scotia, NorthwestTerritories and New Brunswick) adoptedtheir own registers.

At the provincial level, the existence of apermanent register of voters means theinformation can be used for otherelectoral purposes, such as supportinglocal government elections. This isparticularly important in provinces suchas New Brunswick and Quebec that have

responsibility for administering orsupporting the conduct of municipal andschool board elections. But many otherjurisdictions with no mandatedresponsibility for local elections, such asAlberta, Manitoba and Nova Scotia, alsocreate customized voters lists for use bylocal authorities.

All provinces and territories also sharevoters list information with ElectionsCanada through data sharingagreements. This helps to improve thequality of voters lists used by ElectionsCanada within the province or territory forfederal elections. In turn, ElectionsCanada supplies voter registerinformation to provinces and territoriesthat maintain their own permanentregisters (with the exception of Quebec)for the purpose of improving thecoverage, currency and accuracy of thoselists.

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Every system of voter registration has itsmerits and shortcomings. One way togauge the relative merits of a particularmethod of registering voters is to look atthe quality of the information that it yields.There are three main components typicallyused to measure the quality of a voters list– currency, coverage and accuracy.

• Currency is a measure of the relativedecay of information from the time itwas collected to the time it isneeded. It refers to whether the list isup-to-date, i.e. whether an individualnamed at a specific addresscontinues to live there.

• Coverage or completeness refers tothe percentage of voters on the listcompared to the number of eligiblepersons in the constituency orprovince.

• Accuracy refers to whether theinformation on the list is correct interms of not containing spellingmistakes, data entry errors or otherinaccuracies, such as the inclusion ofineligible voters. It is the percentageof correctly listed names andaddresses compared to the totalnumber of names on the list.

CURRENCYThe degree to which a voters listproduced through enumeration is currentdepends on how close the enumerationoccurs prior to the election event.Considering that the last enumerationthat took place in Saskatchewan wasconducted about two months before theNovember election, the voters listinformation that it produced would havebeen very current. The greater the gapbetween the collection of the informationand its use, the more the currency of theinformation can degrade over time. Theprimary source of voters list degradationand loss of currency is voter mobility.

When discussing currency and apermanent register of voters, it isimportant to remember that a register isusually compiled, in the first instance,through enumeration. Therefore, at thetime it is created, a permanent registerwill be as up-to-date as a voters listcompiled through enumeration.Maintaining currency of a permanentregister requires collaboration betweenagencies supplying the information tokeep it up-to-date, particularly where highmobility exists.

In addition to the updating that goes oncontinuously between elections, registerinformation is updated at election timethrough a more limited enumerationprocess, referred to as targetedenumeration. The information is alsoupdated through the same processes thatare followed during the revision periodand on polling day to add and correctinformation about eligible voters. Overtime, the currency of a permanent registerof voters can be maintained if good datasources are available and used to trackchanges in voter status and residency. Apermanent register of voters can containvery current voter information. As seen inTable 1, the currency of the NationalRegister of Electors information forSaskatchewan as of March 1, 2012 wasestimated to be 87.6 percent.

5.0 Enumeration vs. Permanent Register

TABLE 1: NATIONAL REGISTER OF ELECTORS CURRENCY FOR SELECTED JURISDICTIONS (AS OF MARCH 1, 2012)

Province

Saskatchewan 772,036 711,616 87.6 percentManitoba 891,060 802,884 80.4 percentYukon 26,193 24,112 74.9 percent

Estimated Size of Electoral Population

Adjusted Electors onRegister Release

Adjusted Percentage of Electors at Correct Residential Address

(Currency)

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By comparison, as can be seen in Table 3,Elections Canada had an estimated 92.2percent of eligible voters in Saskatchewanon its National Register in a similar time

period. The coverage rates of ElectionsCanada’s permanent register forSaskatchewan and Manitoba are 92.2percent and 90.1 percent, respectively. The

National Register of Electors has achievedan even higher coverage in Quebec (98.3percent), New Brunswick (96.9 percent)and Nova Scotia (95.4 percent).

TABLE 3: NATIONAL REGISTER OF ELECTORS COVERAGE FOR SELECTED JURISDICTIONS (AS OF MARCH 1, 2012)

Province

Saskatchewan 772,036 711,616 92.2 percentManitoba 891,060 802,884 90.1 percentYukon 26,193 24,112 92.1 percent

Estimated Size of Electoral Population

Adjusted Electors onRegister Release

Adjusted Percentage ofElectors on Release

(Coverage)

COVERAGEEnumeration in Saskatchewan involvesapproximately 3,000 workers going door-to-door to collect voter information. Themassive canvassing effort is able tocapture the majority of the eligible voterpopulation. In a growing province likeSaskatchewan, however, new residentsand new citizens are constantly enteringthe electorate and it is a constantchallenge for enumeration to effectivelycapture these new voters.

Enumeration coverage can suffer in thesummer months because of the largenumber of people who are on vacation orotherwise absent from their homes.Enumeration coverage in the spring andfall can be affected in rural areas byagricultural operations such as seeding

and harvesting. In winter, inclementweather can have an adverse impact onthe recruitment of enumerators and theirwillingness to make repeated calls, not tomention residents’ eagerness to answerthe door. Legislation recently introducedin Saskatchewan could see the date setfor the next general election moved fromthe first Monday in November 2015 to thefirst Monday in April 2016. This mayrequire enumeration to be conductedeither six months before the electionevent (September 2015) or in February2016. Winter is not a good time toenumerate in Saskatchewan.

The coverage of a permanent register ofvoters depends largely on the datasources used to create and maintain theinformation. In the interval between

elections, voter records are continuouslyupdated from a variety of overlappingdatabases. The use of multiple datasources ensures the register is completeby tracking voter moves, identifying newvoters, and purging deceased orotherwise ineligible voters.

The voters lists compiled throughenumeration in Saskatchewan’s 2011provincial general election included551,818 voters. This represented only71.5 percent of the estimated number ofeligible voters (772,036) in the province atthe time. This rate is fairly low comparedto the rates achieved in the most recentenumerations in Manitoba (79.8 percent)and Yukon (79.6 percent). Table 2 showsenumeration coverage for thosejurisdictions.

TABLE 2: ENUMERATION COVERAGE FOR SELECTED JURISDICTIONS

Province

Sask. Sept 8/11 – Sept 26/11 19 551,818 772,036 71.5 percentManitoba July 21/11 – Aug 22/11 33 710,590 889,943 79.8 percentYukon Sept 9/11 – Sept 22/11 13 18,018 22,643 79.6 percent

Enumeration Dates Numberof Days

Total Voters onList After

Enumeration

Coverage Total EligibleVoters

ACCURACYThe accuracy of a voters list compiledthrough enumeration depends on thequality of training workers receive, thedesign of the information collection tools,data entry and proofing procedures, andthe overall management of theenumeration process. Incomplete andinaccurate information recorded at thedoor sets the stage for inaccuracies onthe voters list.

What plagues enumeration is the fact thatthe voter information is being capturedand recompiled each election with ampleopportunity for errors. Information thatwas previously recorded accurately orcorrected by the voter at the pollingstation can be re-recorded erroneouslyduring a subsequent enumeration. Notonly can this be frustrating for the voter,errors on the voters list can affect theability of an election administrator toassign voters to the correct poll and toinform voters where they should go tovote. These inaccuracies can also affectthe sorting of the voters list and theelection officials’ ability to find voters onthe list at the polls. In some cases it canlead to disenfranchisement.

The major source of inaccuracy withinpermanent registers stems from databasecharacteristics in general. Databaseshave errors that are usually caused bymistakes in data entry, such as thetransposition of numbers or letters, butalso from inaccurate information suppliedby the individual. This would be nodifferent for records created throughenumeration. Fortunately, with the use ofmultiple data sources, there is a greaterchance that errors will be caught andcorrected. Many jurisdictions now have awealth of experience with recordmatching to draw upon.

In addition to the quality measuresaddressed above, there are several othercriteria that can be used to assess themerits of a particular system of voterregistration.

OTHER FACTORS TOCONSIDERTimelinessTimeliness of the voters list information isimportant at any time, but never morecrucial than when an election is calledunexpectedly. Election administratorsplan for “on demand” events, but it is notideal to be scrambling to prepare a voterslist. It is important for electionadministrators and returning officers tohave an up-to-date voters list to createpolling divisions and assign voters to theircorrect polls – and parties and candidatesneed this information sooner rather thanlater. Unexpected election calls will forcean enumeration to be conducted withinthe writ period and prevent the voters listfrom being available until campaigning iswell underway.

Voter information is always available witha permanent register. The information iscontinuously updated and voters lists canbe produced on very short notice.Obviously this comes in handy with anunexpected election call, but alsobetween elections when lists can beprovided to political parties and electedMembers. The ability to produce a voterslist at any point in time during theplanning and preparations for an electiongreatly assists election administrators andreturning officers with the creation orrevision of poll boundaries. It also affordsthem more time to conduct critical “in thefield” proofing of the lists before goinginto an election.

Security and PrivacyCanadians have become increasinglymore aware of and concerned aboutprivacy of their personal information.Securing the voters list from unauthorizeduse is very important. There are provisionsin Saskatchewan to prohibit unauthorizeduse of information contained in voterslists, whether by election officials or byparties and candidates.

The information from an enumeration iscollected by thousands of individuals andis later inputted by hundreds of data entryoperators, sometimes using computerswithin their homes. Records can and dogo missing in the transfer of information.

Privacy concerns exist wherever uniquelyidentifiable data relating to an individualare collected and stored. In some casesthese concerns refer to how the data iscollected, stored and linked. In othercases the issue relates to who is givenaccess to the information. Concern overprivacy protection is often raised whenjurisdictions move to the creation of apermanent register of voters because theincreased ability to gather, store andtransmit information can have negativeimplications for the retention of privacy.

It is clear to the voter when information iscollected through enumeration that it isintended to be used only for electionpurposes. The fact that it is collectedeach time there is an election reinforcesthis belief. It is not always as apparentwhen the information is collected frommultiple sources, linked to otherdatabases and stored for future use – asis the case with a permanent register ofvoters. More stringent laws that protectthe privacy of voters list information canallay some of the concerns.

Greater measures are usually taken toprotect the information stored in apermanent register than to protect voterslist information compiled through

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enumeration. Permanent registerinformation can be securely stored onservers at the election office or at asecure remote location. When lists areproduced from registers and transmittedto users, they are routinely encrypted.The information within a permanentregister is shared with a more limitedsphere of individuals, thereby minimizingthe opportunity for breaches of security.

Alerting VotersOne of the often-cited advantages ofenumeration is that the process of goingdoor-to-door to compile the list prior to an election serves the purpose of

reminding voters that an election hasbeen called. While it is no doubt true thatsome voters may benefit from such areminder, the impact of this form of“advertising” for the election event shouldnot be overstated. Those responsible foradministering elections are required bylaw to post notices and place ads innewspapers announcing the particulars ofan election. They often conduct broaderadvertising using traditional media suchas television, radio and billboards. Morerecently, Facebook, Twitter, Internetforums, blogs and other social mediahave been used to push the message to the public. Most election offices also mail

voter information cards to eligible votersinforming them of the various votingoptions available and where to castballots on polling day. Finally, there is noshortage of advertising using these sameapproaches by election campaigns in theweeks, and sometimes months, leadingup to an election. Considering all thisactivity, it is difficult to imagine that mostvoters are not aware of an impendingelection by polling day.

Table 4 provides a comparative summaryof the important factors to consider inassessing the quality of voter registrationmethods.

TABLE 4: QUALITY COMPARISON OF VOTER REGISTRATION METHODS

Factors toConsider

Currency

Coverage

Accuracy

Timeliness

Security/Privacy

Alerting Voters

Enumeration

High

Medium

Medium

Low

Medium

High

Comments

• When voter list compiledclose to election.

• Depends on the duration andcompleteness ofenumeration.

• More challenging to collectinformation at the door.

• Recollection of informationevery election leads to error.

• Produced just before anelection.

• Not available betweenelections.

• Greater potential forbreaches.

• Enumerator on doorstepserves as a reminder of theelection.

PermanentRegister

Medium

High

High

High

High

High

Comments

• Depends on the frequency ofinformation updates.

• Can be updated continuously.

• When using multiple data sourcesto update.

• Depends on the quality ofoverlapping data sources.

• With continuous updating, errorscan be caught and corrected.

• Always available to Members andcandidates.

• Available any time for electionofficials to prepare for an election.

• More precautions can be taken toprotect voters.

• Greater potential for accurate andtimely communications.

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It is difficult to obtain a detailed accountof the comparative costs betweenenumeration and a permanent registerfrom other jurisdictions. At the time mostprovinces and territories moved fromenumeration to a permanent register, fewconducted this type of analysis. Theinformation that does exist often cites asizable cost savings as a majoradvantage of a permanent voter register.As noted earlier, the costs of enumerationare considerable and they are growingevery election as efforts are made toovercome the ever-increasing hurdles toobtaining a complete list of eligiblevoters.

The initial cost of a permanent registerincludes systems development, hardware,software and personnel, as well as theongoing costs to maintaining a register.But, one of the major benefits of apermanent register is its long-termsavings. The costs of maintaining apermanent voter register are offset, tosome degree, through the use of NationalRegister of Electors information fromElections Canada. The cost ofmaintaining the National Register is borneentirely by Elections Canada and thisinformation can be readily obtained at nocost by Elections Saskatchewan.

The creation of a permanent voter register by Saskatchewan and the sharing of that information withmunicipalities and school boards canresult in considerable cost savings for therecipients. Many local governmentswould benefit from receiving high qualityvoters list information customized for theirpolitical boundaries.

ENUMERATION COSTS It was previously noted that enumerationcosts are made up largely of labour costs– fees for enumerators, revising agents,data entry operators and salaries forreturning officers, election clerks andother office staff.

In 2011, Elections Saskatchewanconducted a province-wide enumerationoutside of the writ period. Theenumeration employed nearly 3,000workers and occurred over a nineteen-day period beginning on September 8and ending on September 26. The totalcost of the enumeration/revision was$3,225,000. In estimating the costsavings associated with moving to apermanent register, it is necessary toexclude the costs of revision since thiswould be conducted under eitherscenario. In doing so, the $645,000 infees paid to revising agents, and a portionof returning officer and election clerksalaries, mileage, data entry, office andequipment rental and supply costs wereremoved from the total. The resultingamount strictly for enumeration isestimated at $2,580,000.

While there are not many comparisons tomake since there are so few jurisdictionsthat still conduct province-wideenumerations, Saskatchewan’s costscompare favourably to the examples thatcould be found. For example, comparedto Saskatchewan’s per voter cost of$5.34, the cost for Manitoba’s lastenumeration in 2011 was $6.00 per voter.Yukon’s enumeration in the fall of 2011cost $7.77 per voter.

PERMANENT REGISTERCOSTS In order to decide if moving to apermanent register is justifiable on thebasis of cost, it is necessary to estimatethe initial cost of establishing a registerand the continuing costs of maintaining it.By comparing these costs with the knowncosts of continuing to enumerate, it canbe determined if a permanent register willbe more or less costly. The two basic costcomponents of establishing a permanentregister are development costs andongoing maintenance costs.

Development CostsElections Saskatchewan has its owncustomized election managementsoftware called Elections Saskatchewan’sPermanent Register of Eligible Electors(ESPREE). The same system is used byAlberta, the Northwest Territories andNunavut to manage elections andpermanent registers of voters. In Alberta,the system is used by Elections Alberta tohouse and maintain its Register ofElectors that contains records for morethan 2.5 million voters. In order to serveas a register for Saskatchewan, ESPREEcould benefit from some enhancedfunctionality to allow elector and addressinformation to be updated from externaldata sources. This would includedatabases from other agencies. Theestimated cost for this work to beperformed by an external developer is$50,000.

A permanent voter register will require amore robust server environment that hasthe ability to handle an increase inrequests and is able to scale up toaccommodate periods of high demand.

6.0 Comparing the Costs

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Two new servers and software will berequired to bring the current environmentto a level that will meet theserequirements. One application/web serverand one database server would need tobe added to the current serverenvironment. The cost per server is$5,000 and Windows server anddatabase licensing costs would beapproximately $15,000 for both.

In its present location, ElectionsSaskatchewan would likely require a fibreoptic communication line. Currently, the

connection between the data centrelocated at the Legislative AssemblyBuilding can only achieve a maximumspeed of 5 MB. Fibre optics would allowfor speeds of up to 1GB, but even speedsof 20 MB or 100 MB would be a significantimprovement. This upgrade would benefitall information technology related servicesat Elections Saskatchewan, but would beparticularly helpful in providing users withimproved and faster access to a largeregister database stored on the servers.The one-time cost of this upgrade isestimated to be $15,000.

Eventually the system could benefit froman on-line application to permit voters tomanage their own voter registration. Anon-line application similar to Alberta’sVoterLink, would cost approximately$50,000 to build, but would not need tobe developed until after the 2015 (or2016) general election.

Table 5 summarizes the estimateddevelopment costs for a permanentregister of voters.

Maintenance CostsA permanent register of voters wouldneed to be continuously updated tomaintain acceptable levels of currencyand coverage. This involves significantorganization and management of thedatabase, as well as programming toestablish automated routines formatching databases and updatingrecords. Two additional in-housetechnical positions would need to beadded to the IT staff – a Business Analystand a Database Programmer. It would behighly desirable for these two additionalpositions to be filled at the outset so that

they could be involved in the planningand development of the new registersystem.

Once the register system has beendesigned and implemented and additionaldatabases have been acquired to updatethe register records, two additional DataAnalyst positions will be required tocontinuously review register records;manually input registration additions,changes and deletions; perform “look-up”functions; and resolve isolated issues.Based on current rates, in a typical four-year election cycle the maintenance costs

for a permanent register of voters inSaskatchewan would be $1,313,600.These costs are not expected to increaseat the same rate as the costs ofenumeration. Evidence from otherjurisdictions suggests that these costs arealso unlikely to increase substantially overtime as staff becomes more efficient atmaintaining it.

Table 6 summarizes the estimated annualmaintenance costs for a permanentregister in Saskatchewan.

TABLE 5: ESTIMATED DEVELOPMENT COSTS FOR A PERMANENT REGISTER OF VOTERS

Activity/Item Cost

Systems development $50,000Two servers $10,000Server and database licensing $15,000Fibre optic communication $15,000Miscellaneous, hardware, software, furniture and supplies $35,000Total $125,000

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Target Enumeration CostsJurisdictions that have permanentregisters usually conduct some form oftargeted enumeration prior to an election.The purpose of this more limited form ofenumeration is to increase the coverageand currency of the voters lists byfocusing efforts on areas of new growthand high mobility. It is designed tocapture voters who may have recentlymoved within the province or who havejust become qualified to vote in theelection by virtue of gaining residency orage eligibility. The amount of enumerationin each constituency will vary dependingon the particular characteristics of votersand housing within it. For instance,

constituencies that are highly stable will have less targeted enumeration andones with lots of apartments, studenthousing and new growth will have more.

For purposes of establishing the targetenumeration costs, it was estimated that 15 percent of the total enumerationcosts would continue to be incurred for targeted enumeration prior to anelection. This is probably an over-cautious estimate of the amount ofenumeration that would be required, butprudent nonetheless until the registerquality has been measured. Targetenumeration each election is estimated to cost $384,000.

COST SAVING OF APERMANENT REGISTER OFVOTERSBased on the actual costs of enumerationin Saskatchewan and the estimated costsof maintaining a permanent register ofvoters, it can be seen in Table 7 that a netsaving of $882,400 could be realizedevery four-year election cycle by movingto a permanent register. The cost ofcontinuing to enumerate would be almost38 percent more than the cost ofmaintaining a permanent register.However, the net savings would be$125,000 less in the first four-year electioncycle due to the initial development costs.

TABLE 6: ESTIMATED ANNUAL MAINTENANCE COSTS FOR A PERMANENT REGISTER OF VOTERS

Position/Item Annual Cost

Business Analyst (MCP5/6) $93,500Database Programmer (MCP5/6) $93,500Two Data Analysts (MCP2) $92,400Fibre optic communication charges $ 9,000Miscellaneous hardware, software and supplies $40,000Total $328,400 (current costs)

TABLE 7: COMPARISON OF ELECTION CYCLE COSTS

Four-year Cycle Cost Components Enumeration Permanent Register Total Four-Year Cycle Cost Saving

Enumeration $2,580,000 Revision $645,000 $645,000 Target enumeration $384,000 Maintenance costs 1,313,600 Total Four-year Cycle Costs $3,225,000 $2,342,600 $882,400

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The development of a permanent registercould begin immediately once thelegislative authority is in place andproposed IT positions are filled. At thattime, work can commence on building theregister, negotiating data sharingagreements, developing business rules for incorporating new voters and

modifying existing records, developingdata matching and updating routines, andestablishing audit controls. These taskswill be undertaken with resources fromElections Saskatchewan and the agenciesproviding data. These agencies should be involved from the outset in planning andimplementing a permanent register.

In the fall of 2015, there will be a “final”comprehensive enumeration. There areseveral options for compiling the voterslist for the 2015 general election. Thoseoptions are listed in Table 8.

7.0 Timing of Implementation

TABLE 8: ENUMERATION OPTIONS FOR 2015 ELECTION

Option

1. Status Quo –Enumeration

2. Enumerateusing pre-filledaddresses onforms

3. Enumerateusing pre-filled voterinformationfrom 2011 list

4. Enumerateusing pre-filled voterinformationfrom 2011 listand federalregister

Features

• Enumeration conductedwith blank forms.

• Makes use ofSaskatchewan’s new CivicAddress Register (CAR).

• Forms pre-printed with alladdresses in the province.

• One form per address withall voters listed.

• Names can be easilyconfirmed, deleted oradded to form.

• One form per address withall known provincial andfederal voters included.

• Confirmation process formost voters.

• New addresses wouldrequire blank forms.

Pros/Cons

Pros• Established procedure.• No new training required.Cons• Greater potential for data collection error.• No address standards applied.

Pros• Potentially more comprehensive enumeration – all known

addresses to be visited.• Makes use of standard addressing – improved postal delivery of

voter cards.Cons• Some standard addresses may not match what’s on voter’s

identification.• CAR doesn’t distinguish between residential and commercial

addresses.

Pros• More efficient - data already collected and corrected gets re-

used.• Less costly data entry.Cons• Only 71.5 percent of eligible voters enumerated in 2011.• No address standards applied.

Pros• Approximately 90 percent of voters would simply need to be

confirmed.• Most efficient enumeration and data entry process.• Opportunity to partner with Elections Canada.Cons• Skills to combine list not readily available.• Amendments needed to legislation to access federal list.

In deciding whether to move forward witha permanent register of voters forSaskatchewan, it is helpful to consider alist of principles that should be upheld byany change in the way voter registrationis carried out. Decision makers may feelmore comfortable authorizing theestablishment of a permanent registerwhen they are satisfied these conditionscan be met. Following is a list ofprinciples for the establishment of apermanent register of voters derived, inpart, and adapted from informationincluded in the Royal Commission onElectoral Reform and Party Financingreport (1991). The ability of ElectionsSaskatchewan to meet these principles isassessed below:

A permanent register of votersshould be adopted only if it iscomparable to enumeration in

terms of currency and coverage.

The experience of other Canadianjurisdictions that have alreadyestablished permanent registers is thattheir voters list currency and coveragecompare quite favorably with theresults of enumeration. Permanentregisters can achieve a very high levelof currency. For example, the currencyof the National Register of Electors forSaskatchewan was 87.6 percent as ofMarch 1, 2012. Permanent lists canachieve even higher levels of currency

as evidenced by the National Register ofElectors rates of 95.2 percent in PEI, 92percent in Quebec and 90.1 percent inNova Scotia for this same time period.

Coverage of the voters list followingSaskatchewan’s last election was 71.5percent. This rate is fairly lowcompared to the rates achieved in themost recent enumeration in Manitoba(79.8 percent). The coverage rates ofElections Canada’s permanent registerfor Saskatchewan and Manitoba are92.2 percent and 90.1 percent,respectively. The National Register ofElectors has achieved an even highercoverage in Quebec (98.3 percent),New Brunswick (96.9 percent) andNova Scotia (95.4 percent).

A permanent register should only be adopted if it is nearly as efficient

as enumeration.

Based on the actual costs ofenumeration in Saskatchewan and theestimated costs of establishing andmaintaining a permanent register ofvoters, it can be seen that the annualcost of continuing to enumerate wouldbe $220,600 more or approximately 38percent greater than the cost ofmaintaining a register - $806,250versus $585,650 (current costs). In thefirst 4-year election cycle, which would

include development costs, the costsaving of moving to a permanentregister would amount to $757,400(current cost). In the next full 4-yearelection cycle, the savings would be$882,400 (current cost).

A permanent register must ensurethat it is at least as easy as it isthrough enumeration for eligiblevoters to be placed on the voters list.

Registering voters via a permanent

register requires minimal effort on thepart of the voter. Registers are, for themost part, kept current with informationthat has already been provided to otheragencies. If a voter is not on theregister prior to the election, they couldbe added during revision, at theadvance polls or at their voting stationon polling day.

A permanent register must bedesigned to include all eligiblevoters.

Both enumeration and permanentregisters have the inclusion of all eligiblevoters as their goals. The challenge fora permanent register is to draw uponmany and varied official sources for thepurpose of including new voters andkeeping voter records up-to-date.

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8.0 Guiding Principles

The permanent register of voters systemwill initially be populated with voter datacompiled from the selected enumerationoption. After the next general election(2015 or 2016), the enumeration recordscontained in the register will be updated

and new voter data from reliable publicsector sources will be added to theregister to keep it current. Ongoingquality research will be conducted tomeasure the currency, completeness andaccuracy of the register information.

This will determine if any gaps exist andwill help to focus target enumeration priorto the following general election.Saskatchewan’s permanent voter registerwill be ready for use in the 2019 generalelection.

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A permanent register should beopen, such that voters can beincluded on the list after the writs forthe election have been issued up toand including on polling day.

Keeping a permanent register open,such that eligible voters will not bedisenfranchised simply because theywere not on the list prior to an electioncall, is fairly straightforward. Currently,jurisdictions that use permanentregisters continue to incorporate arevision period within their electioncalendar and permit voter registrationat the advance poll and on polling day.

Voters should have the right not tobe included on the register or tohave their name removed at anytime.

Permitting voters to have their nameskept off of a permanent register isaccomplished through legislativeauthority and administrative procedure.

Voters wishing to be excluded from theregister would need to inform electionadministrators of this preference, verifytheir identity, and they can then bedeleted from future register updates.This would not affect their entitlementto vote, as they would simply need toregister at their voting station whenthey go to vote.

Permitting voters to have their namesremoved from the register wouldrequire a similar application procedure.This could take place at any time priorto the printing and distribution of thevoters lists for an election.

Voters should be able to have

register information corrected at any time.

Permitting voters to have their personalinformation corrected would follow asimilar administrative procedure as theexclusion and deletion from theregister.

A permanent register must bedesigned so as to prevent voterfraud, i.e. by minimizing the inclusionof people that are not eligible voters.

The same system checks to preventvoter fraud—such as proof ofidentification and challenges to avoter’s eligibility during revision and atthe polls by candidate representativesand election officials—are in place for apermanent register. Additionally, apermanent register benefits from theverification procedures that are in placewhen an official record is created.

Information on the register must bemanaged according to the strictestcriteria for preserving privacy andsafeguarding confidentiality.

Separate provisions for the protection ofprivacy and confidentiality of voterinformation can be included along withlegislation authorizing the establishmentof a register of voters for Saskatchewan.

BOARD OF INTERNALECONOMY CONSENSUSBased on the evidence collected withinthis study, the Chief Electoral Officerrecommends that a permanent registry beinstituted in Saskatchewan. The ChiefElectoral Officer is seeking consensusamong the members of the Board ofInternal Economy on whether apermanent register of voters should bepursued.

LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTSThe Chief Electoral Officer is seeking thesupport of the Board of Internal Economyin requesting legislative changes to TheElections Act, 1996 that would authorize

the establishment, management andmaintenance of a permanent register ofvoters.

Legislative amendments will be requiredon a timely basis to give ElectionsSaskatchewan adequate lead time tomake the extensive operational andsystem changes that will be required toprepare for the implementation of apermanent register in 2019. It isrecommended that the necessaryamendments be passed in 2014, prior tothe next general election, withtransitioning provisions to have themcome into effect following the 2015 (or2016) election. These amendments arecritical for this initiative to proceed.

Legislative drafting instructions havebeen prepared by ElectionsSaskatchewan and can be madeavailable to legislative counsel staff.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCESIn preparing to construct a permanentregister of voters, ElectionsSaskatchewan will require additionalpermanent staff positions andaccompanying salary and operating fundsin its 2014-15 budget. The additionalresources are essential to thedevelopment and ongoing maintenanceof a permanent register of voters forSaskatchewan.

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9.0 Recommendations

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The Chief Electoral Officer would like tothank the staff of Elections Saskatchewanand other election management bodiesacross the country for sharing theirexperience, providing advice, answeringquestions, and offering insight into thisassessment. Their contributions shouldbe fully acknowledged. He is also gratefulfor the ongoing advice offered by LorneGibson, known across the country for hisexpertise in voter registration, in studyingthe potential for a permanent register ofvoters for Saskatchewan.

Acknowledgements

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Elections Saskatchewan1702 Park StreetRegina, SaskatchewanS4N 6B2Telephone: 306.787.4000Toll Free: 1.877.958.8683Fax: 306.787.4052E-Mail: [email protected]

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