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The Saskatchewan election will have another round of vote counting today as Elections Saskatchewan enters its Second Preliminary Count.
On the 28th, election officials hand-counted over 400,000 ballots as part of the First Preliminary Count, which delivered the first look at the province's voting record.
Now the Second Preliminary Count will look at the 20,417 vote-by-mail ballots which have been returned by October 26, 2024. This count will be held centrally in Regina.
“While some consider an election over after the results come in on the last day of voting, that’s really never been the case,” says Dr. Michael Boda, Chief Electoral Officer of Saskatchewan. “There have always been votes that still need to be counted and results that need to be confirmed. That’s where the Second Preliminary Count, and then the third and Final Count, come in.”
Following the Second Preliminary Count, the next round of counting takes place at the Final Count, which is held 12 days after the last day of voting.
Following the Final Count on November 9, which will look at all vote-by-mail ballots received between October 27 and November 7, the official final results of the election will be released.
“The Final Count is an important step in the election process. Not only do we finish counting remaining ballots, but we also verify that all results have been entered correctly,” says Dr. Boda. “I know how important it is to voters, candidates, and political parties that we deliver results quickly, but we also need to deliver them accurately, while also following our legislated deadlines.”