Wheatland County passes election bylaw

By Sean Feagan, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Wheatland County council passed an election bylaw for the fall election, which formalizes some of the rules determining how it will be conducted.

The bylaw contains specific regulations for the upcoming municipal election, to be held on Oct. 18, 2021, for which council has already appointed a returning officer (RO) and substitute returning officer (SRO).

Under the bylaw, more than one voting station may be designated for each of the county’s seven subdivisions. Currently, there are two polling stations being planned for Divisions 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7. Previously, to arrange an extra voting station, the county was required to obtain a ministerial order, but this is no longer the case under new rules.

The province made no changes to special ballot rules because of the pandemic, due to the cost and time it takes to process them. Under provincial rules, special ballots may only be provided for someone with a physical disability, those absent from the local jurisdiction, or for election workers who are working on election day.

Wheatland County is not currently planning to provide special ballots, which are mailed to votes and returned via Canada Post. It is thought few will be away because of the pandemic, and election workers are encouraged to vote prior to the election.

There is also concern the province may not inform municipalities of senate or referendum votes before early September, which would leave the county limited time to distribute and return ballots before Oct. 18.

Larger municipalities with more resources are offering special ballots, but many smaller municipalities across the province are not. Many of these municipalities are adding additional advance voting dates. Wheatland County has tentatively booked Oct. 8, Oct. 13 and Oct. 16 as advance polling dates. On these dates, the polling station will be located at the Wheatland County administration building, located east of Strathmore on Highway 1.

Nominations for the election are being accepted until Sept. 21, 2021. Once the RO accepts a nomination, the name of the candidate will be posted on the Wheatland County website. Voting stations in Wheatland County will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 18.