An ongoing conflict between possible election dates for provincial and municipal elections in 2020 has been resolved.
The province has announced the election dates will now be set two weeks apart. The provincial election will be held Oct. 26, 2020. Municipal and school board elections will take place two weeks later on Nov. 9, 2020.
Previously, under the province’s elections law, the two elections would have been held only five days apart, which was seen as problematic with the potential to create confusion.
Now, updates to the election legislation are on the table. It will state that after 2020, on a four-year schedule, future provincial elections will be held on the last Monday in October while future municipal elections will occur on the second Wednesday in November, except Remembrance Day.
Premier Scott Moe, Justice Minister Don Morgan and Government Relations Minister Warren Kaeding made the announcement Wednesday. The Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities and Saskatchewan School Boards Association have indicated they are on board with the change. Premier Moe said the changes have come about following extensive consultations.
“After consulting extensively with both rural and urban municipalities, it was clear they wanted to keep their elections in the fall of 2020,” Moe said in a statement. “We believe we have reached a reasonable compromise that will allow local officials time to prepare for these changes.”
As for the province, they wanted to also hold elections in the fall because they do not disrupt the legislative calendar, Moe said. The premier also noted that in 1991 and 2003, the municipal and provincial elections in the province were also held about two weeks apart.
