City prepares for election during winter storm

If Regina residents are worried the incoming snowstorm will affect their ability to vote, the city says not to worry.

A major storm is expected to bring 20 to 40 centimetres of snow — eight to 16 inches — to the Queen City on Sunday and into Monday. The civic election is set for Monday.

City clerk Jim Nicol said Friday officials have been in contact with the city’s road crews to ensure a plan is in place so the city’s 32 polling stations are accessible even in heavy snowfall.

“It’s going to have an impact if it snows to the degree they are forecasting,” Nicol said. “Obviously (road crews) are going to focus on major roads but even on Sunday evening they are going to be focusing on major roads and in front of polling stations before they go elsewhere.

“They understand and appreciate that the access to the various polling stations are of high priority on Monday.”

City officials say they will have up to 60 pieces of snow-removing equipment out and about during the storm to clear the streets.

Nicol said the city is prepared for the storm and what it might throw at those overseeing the voting.

“We plan for the absolute worst-case scenario but we are confident that we have backup plans in place and contingencies in place,” Nicol said.

Nicol does admit some people may decide to stay home due to the snow but doesn’t think it will be a major problem.

“People in Saskatchewan tend to be pretty resilient during blizzards or storms of any kind,” Nicol said. “If the storm was abating later in the day, we would encourage people to keep an eye on the weather and come out (to vote) when it does get better, if it does get better.”

Polls on Monday are open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. If a person is in line by 8 p.m., they are able to vote.

Rides on Regina Transit are free on election day.

More than 14,000 votes were cast in advance polls this past week. Nicol said that’s more than twice what election officials saw in 2016.

The COVID pandemic also resulted in a massive increase in mail-in ballots.

During most years, the city would only get 80 to 120 ballots by mail. In 2020, it has already received around 3,000 ballots after getting more than 6,000 applications.