Rural Municipality of Vanscoy
Elections &
Voting
Running for Municipal Office
Thank you for thinking of running for your local municipal council. Saskatchewan municipalities need citizens like you to assume leadership roles to represent the people in your community or region, and to provide direction on the policies and programs that will lead to better quality services for communities.
Serving in elected positions is not easy, but being a member of council offers a lot of personal satisfaction. The information below will help you decide if you want to run as a candidate for municipal council.
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Information for Council Members to learn more about your new role, if elected.
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Council Member's Handbook For Municipalities
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New Election Recourses for Citizens Running for Council
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Voting in the RM
General elections for each office are held every four years. Rural municipalities hold an election for selected divisions every two years; however, each council member holds office for a four-year term. Upcoming municipal election dates are:
Wednesday, November 13, 2024, to elect reeves and councillors representing odd-number divisions in rural municipalities.
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Monday, November 9, 2026, to elect councillors representing even-number divisions in rural municipalities.
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Occasionally a municipality will need to call a byelection to fill a vacant council seat due to resignation, death or other incident.
1. Acceptable Voter Identification
Acceptable photo identification is ID that is government-issued, valid and has your photo, name and address. If your identification does not meet these criteria, it will not be recognized as an acceptable form of photo identification.
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If you live in an RM, you can vote for the reeve and for one division councillor. Councillors are elected only by voters qualifying to vote in that division. Your property tax notice contains information about the division in which you are entitled to vote.
Voting occurs by making a distinct "X" in the space beside the candidate's name. The ballot is secret.
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Polls are required to be open between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Election Day.
However, the returning officer may open polls earlier. After the poll opens, the deputy returning officer will show people who are present that the ballot box is empty prior to closing and sealing the box. If the ballot box was used at an advance poll, the deputy returning officer will remove the seal over the ballot box's slot in front of all those present.
Returning officers may be asked to determine if a person is an eligible candidate or voter. Elected officials should be prepared to explain eligibility criteria; however, elected officials should avoid determining a person's right to vote or seek office. It is the responsibility of each candidate and voter to determine their own eligibility.
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To vote in an RM election in Saskatchewan, you must:
be a Canadian citizen;
be at least 18 years of age and one of the following:
a. have lived in the RM (or land now in the RM) for at least three consecutive months immediately preceding the day of the election;
b. be the registered owner of property in the RM (or land now in the RM);
c. be the assessed person with respect to property situated in the RM (or property now in the RM, refer to Section 207 of The Act);
d. be the occupant of a trailer or mobile home in the municipality (or land now situated in the municipality) that is object of a permit required (refer to Section 306 of The Act);
e. be the spouse of an eligible voter mentioned in a, b or c; or
f. be the chief executive officer of a duly incorporated co-operative, corporation or religious association that is assessed on the last revised assessment roll with respect to property in the RM that is not exempt from taxation.
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