The 2020 civic election had many firsts, according to city clerk Judy Pilloud, who was the returning officer for the election.
In her post-election report, filed for the Nov. 23 city council meeting, Pilloud noted this was the first election to have mail-in ballots, drive-thru voting and a super polling station. And it was the first municipal election to occur during a pandemic.
“Despite some of the restrictions we had an average turnout,” Pilloud said.
The advance poll was held Nov. 2 and 3 for all voters, including those that anticipated being unable to vote on election day. They established two polls at the Estevan Church of God, and approximately 600 people went through the polls.
For the first time in Estevan they established a drive-thru poll at the Estevan Fire Rescue Service’s building. This poll gave the ease and comfort for voters as they did not have to leave their vehicles or be exposed to people outside their bubble. The drive-thru poll was available on Oct. 30 and on election day.
“It was well received and very busy,” Pilloud said.
Pilloud recommended the drive-thru voting option be offered once again, as it gave people the ability to vote without issue.
“For some people with limited mobility, family members were able to do the drive-thru with ease,” Pilloud said.
Councillor Rebecca Foord said the drive-thru poll also gave families a chance to take their kids when voting and show them how voting works.
“We never got the chance to go into schools or anywhere this year to teach anybody about anything because of COVID, so it was a good opportunity to learn,” said Foord.
Due to COVID-19, the city was unable to establish special or mobile polls in long-term care or senior care facilities. Since the mail-in ballot was approved by council, they took full advantage of this option and used a drop-off and pick-up method through facility co-ordinators.
The mail-in ballots provided a safe option for those voters that did not want to leave their homes during a pandemic and could vote at their own pace.
“We had over 150 approved applications. This is a very time-consuming process for the election workers but I think it was well received and used,” Pilloud said.
The super poll location at the Church of God was well-received on election day, as people have the convenience of being able to park close to the doors, and with six polls within the facility, lines kept moving at a steady pace.
There were concerns about lineups at the super polling station, but Pilloud said delays stemmed from COVID.
“The super poll would have went a lot quicker if it weren’t for COVID,” said Councillor Shelly Veroba. “More people would have been able to come and go.”
The city also didn’t have the advanced polls open for as long as they would have liked, and they had to relocate the advanced polls in late October.
Pilloud also noted that electronic voting was used for the third time in an Estevan election, which cuts down on manpower required at each polling station and also the time spent at the end of the day counting ballots. Results were known within 30 minutes of the main polling stations closing on election night.
She also thanked deputy returning officer Connie Spencer and the many people who worked at the polling stations to make the election possible.
