SEP 15 2015 Elections .L.. . Eran. September 16, 2016 To: The Honourable Gordon Wyant, Minister of Justice and Attorney General The Honourable Jeremy Harrison, Deputy Government House Leader Mr. Warren McCall, Opposition House Leader Re: Considerations Associated with Holding a Referendum/Plebiscite In the post-election period, my office has been working to identify areas within its operational mandate most urgently in need of legal reform and renewal. The existing legal framework surrounding referendums/plebiscites has not been updated in several decades. As you well know, there have been media reports in recent months regarding the possibility of a province?wide vote being held on the topic of privatizing SaskTel. I am concerned that the province's current legislative and regulatory framework would not allow Elections Saskatchewan to administer a referendum/plebiscite in an efficient and economical manner or at service levels that citizens would expect. To that end, my office has prepared the attached discussion paper on the topic. Regardless of the timing of any potential referendum/plebiscite, I would recommend modernization of the related legal framework so that my office can be effective in administering such an event if it is not held in conjunction with a general election. In this light, Elections Saskatchewan would be pleased to work with the appropriate committee of legislators, as well as assigned legislative and regulatory drafters, to inform this process. As Chief Electoral Officer, it is not my role to determine if or when a referendum/plebiscite might be held. I only wish to ensure that my office is ready to fulfill its legislative mandate to be able to implement such an event in an effective, efficient manner that meets democratic standards. I appreciate fully that any discussions around a potential referendum/plebiscite are inherently political in nature and raise these issues only for the sake of operational readiness at Elections Saskatchewan. I hope that you will respect the need for my office to remain outside the sphere of political discussions. I would welcome the opportunity to provide non-partisan input considering these matters. You may contact me at 306.787.4027 or by e?mail at mboda@elections.sk.ca. Michael D. Boda, D.Phii., Chief Electoral Officer Province of Saskatchewan Enclosure Elections Saskatchewan ?301--3303 Hillsdale Street Regina, Saskatchewan Canada 545 6W9 Email: info@elections.sk.ca Web: elections.sk.ca Telephone: 306.787.4000 Toll Free: 1.877.958.8683 Fax: 306.787.4052 gr r. .un mm rx- nun-L- ELECTIONS SASKATCHEWAN CHIEF ELECTORAL DISCUSSION PAPER Considerations for Modemizing Referendum and Plebiscite Rules and Facilitating Operational Readiness at Elections Saskatchewan September 201 :Electionsl Table of Contents 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 Executive Summary .. The Referendum and Plebiscite Act and Associated Regulations .. Four Broad Questions Related to Referendums and Plebiscites .. Four Voting Options to Consider .. Additional Considerations .. Recommendation .. Conclusion .. A Executive Summary During the summer of 2016 there have been various media reports, quoting elected officials, that suggested the possibility that a provincial referendum or plebiscite may be held to obtain citizen input on a major public policy question. The prospect that Elections Saskatchewan might be required to administer a public vote of this type prompted a review of the current statutory and regulatory framework that sets out the rules for how provincial referendums and plebiscites are to be conducted. What was learned during that review prompted further research into the modern history of public consultation votes in Saskatchewan and Canada. This discussion paper summarizes the results of these efforts, presents two findings from the research and review, explores four voting options and makes a recommendation that one particular option be adopted if a public consultation vote is to occur outside of a general election period. A first finding is that Saskatchewan's current legal framework for conducting provincial referendums and plebiscites is out-of-date and largely unworkable, as it has not been updated over the past 25 years. The current framework does not reflect significant changes that have been made to electoral practices or accurately cross? reference current electoral laws within its regulations. A second finding is that other Canadian jurisdictions have ad0pted more evolved approaches to administering public consultation votes since the province adopted its current arrangements in 1991. Since the legal framework of Saskatchewan?s provincial referendums and plebiscites is in need of a review by legislators, it would seem appropriate to consider some available options for modernizing the rules about how this type of electoral process should be conducted. The recommendation of this paper is that the alternative method of postal voting should be adopted if a provincial referendum or plebiscite is to be held outside of a general election period. Elections Saskatchewan would be able to administer such a vote after a minimum of 164 days following receipt of legislative instructions and do so at an estimated cost of $4.0 million. W?s/49. Michael D. Boda, D. Phil.. Chief Electoral Officer Province of Saskatchewan 1.0 Introduction Provincially, Saskatchewan has no recent history of holding referendums or plebiscites to inform public policy. The last province-wide plebiscite was held concurrently with the 1991 general election and before that, the preceding public consultation vote was the ?time question? plebiscite held in 1956.1 The province?s referendum and plebiscite legislation pre-dates The Election Act, 1996 and was passed into law in June 1991, a few months before a three-question plebiscite vote was held in conjunction with that year's general election. Provincial referendum and plebiscite legislation was amended in 1996, but only to reference the newly titled Election Act since that time there have been no further amendments to the legislation or its supporting regulations. This has resulted in the province?s referendum and plebiscite legal framework drifting out of alignment with current Election Act provisions, making the prescribed arrangements administratively unwieldy and unlikely to accommodate public and political expectations regarding voting procedures and service levels. While the legislative responsibility for The Referendum and Plebiscite Act and its applicable regulations falls under the responsibility of the Minister of Justice and Attorney General,2 within that legal framework the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer has statutory responsibilities for the fair, non-partisan and impartial administration of all referendum and plebiscite votes. This discussion paper will first examine the status of the province?s current legal framework which define the instructions the office must follow when required to administer a referendum or plebiscite, then present a number of options for modernization, and close with a recommendation regarding adoption of one of those options. 2.0 The Referendum and Plebiscite Act and Associated Regulations Given that its most recent public vote on a matter of public policy dates back to 1991, Saskatchewan?s legislative framework remains relatively narrow in comparison to other Canadian jurisdictions that have more recently conducted referendums or plebiscites. The province?s current legislative framework within The Referendum and Plebiscite Act reflects practices and procedures considered appropriate in the previous century rather than reflecting today?s public and political expectations for such events. For a historical perspective, see "Referendums in Canada: A Comparative Overview? by Tim Mowrey, January 2001. Available on Elections Canada?s website at: See "00 239/2015 - Assignment of Responsibility for the Administration of Acts and Regulations (President of the Executive Council)," May 2015 at 2015.9df. The Act currently describes each in this way: a A referendum is a vote on any question of public interest or concern and is ordered bythe Lieutenant Governor in Council. The results of a referendum can be legally binding if more than 60 percent of the ballots cast indicate votes supporting the same answer to the question, provided that at least 50 percent of those entitled to vote in the referendum do 30.3 A plebiscite is a vote on any question of public interest or concern and can be ordered by the Lieutenant Governor in Council, directed by the Legislative Assembly, or directed by the Minister of Justice. The legislation also includes provisions that allow citizens to force a plebiscite by submitting a petition signed by at least 15 per cent of electors. In such a case, the Minister of Justice must direct that a plebiscite be held .4 While the Act contains a number of other important details, the specific instructions that must be used to administer a vote are found, for the most part, in The Referendum and Plebisclte Regulations. These regulations contemplate two ?types? of vote one held at the same time as a general election and another that is held between general elections. Both options assume the same basis of operations as in a general election or by-election an in-person vote cast at a physical location administered by election officers led by a constituency Returning Officer. It must be noted that these regulations have the seeming intent of mirroring the practices found in the province's election legislation, but they have not been updated since they were created 25 years ago. As a result, the regulations refer to The Election Actthat was in force in 1991, and n_ot The Election Act, 1996 which replaced it five years later. As such, the current regulations do not reflect any of the changes that were made to the province?s election law over the past two decades. Changes that have not been made include elements that would have significant impact on an electoral event, such as: The introduction of the permanent register of voters and the removal of the need for enumeration; The requirement for voters to provide when casting a ballot; - The ability of all voters to vote at an advance poll; and The introduction of absentee voting, as well as homebound voting for individuals with disabilities. Furthermore, many of the references to election legislation made within the regulations are no longer valid. Addressing this issue will require significant amendment to the regulations in order to make them useable. 3 See The Referendum and Plebiscite Act, sections 3 to 5 at .pdf 4 See The Referendum and Plebiscite Act. sections 6 and 7. 3.0 Four Broad Questions Related to Referendums and Plebiscites Beyond any detailed regulatory updates and legal reference changes that may be required, there are several broad questions that should be considered when reviewing the province?s current legislative and regulatory framework for votes on public policy. It would be useful for legislators to review the province?s referendum and plebiscite legislation and regulations with four overarching questions in mind.5 These four questions are not applicable only to public consultation votes in this province but also reflect international best practice regarding referendum and plebiscite design. 1. What process is used to determine a neutral?5 ballot question? The current approach, set out in section 3 of The Referendum and Plebiscite Act, involves the Lieutenant Governor in Council devising a referendum question as part of the process of creating an ?order? requiring a referendum. A plebiscite question, according to section 6, can be devised either by the Lieutenant Governor in Council if they are ordering the plebiscite, or by the Assembly if the plebiscite is the result of a resolution it has supported. 2. What is the level of support required for a referendum or plebiscite to ?pass? and bind government to pass legislation supporting a particular choice? Currently, section 4 of The Referendum and Plebiscite Act requires a 60 percent ?super- majority? level of support for a referendum choice, accompanied with a minimum voting turnout rate of not less than 50 percent of ?the electors who are entitled to vote," in order for the voting result to be considered binding. A plebiscite, under current legislation, is considered a non-binding ?expression of public opinion? regardless of support or participation levels. 3. How is the referendum or plebiscite vote to be administered? The assumption within current referendum legislation is that voting is to be administered just as it would be for an election, but without the presence of candidates or political parties. However, while The Election Act, 1996 has had numerous amendments over the past 20 years permanent voter register, voter identification requirements, absentee voting, homebound voting, etc.), The 5 Beyond these four primary design considerations, there are many detailed issues to consider. For a brief overview of related topics, see the ACE The Electoral Knowledge Network discussion about Referendu ms at: 5 See, for example, the ?Referendum question assessment guidelines? published by the UK Electoral Commission. November 2009. Available online at: ?naLpdf Referendum and Plebiscite Act and its supporting regulations have not been similarly adjusted. Furthermore, the current rules do not envision the possibility of any type of alternative voting arrangement, such as a postal vote, internet vote or telephone vote. 4. How are the sides of the debate regulated, especially with regard to their expenditures, to ensure a ?level playing field? for debate on the question being voted on? The current legislation does not contemplate ?yes? and "no" committees (as is seen in 2009 referendum and plebiscite regulations) or any potential public funding ofthem, and has no regulation as to financial spending limits, contribution limits, or disclosure requirements of any citizen groups, advertising sponsors or other ?third parties? who may promote or oppose the public consultation question. However, it does place limits on government advertising (sec. 11) and does require political parties and candidates to declare referendum expenses as election expenses (sec. 12), but if the vote occurs during an election penod. 4.0 Four Voting Options to Consider During the 25 years since Saskatchewan held its last provincial plebiscite, there have been numerous public consultations? throughout Canada that our province can learn from. Below are four possible options that Saskatchewan could pursue in conducting a referendum or plebiscite. General comments on costs and potential timelines have been included. Option 1. Referendum/Plebiscite held in conjunction with a provincial election using an in-person vote: Because it was used in 1991, this is likely to be the kind of provincial consultation vote with which residents of Saskatchewan will be most familiar. During a provincial general election, voters are provided with a second ballot (in addition to the one used to vote for their Member of the Legislative Assembly) which is then deposited into a second ballot box and counted at the end of the voting period. Administratively, this is one of the ?simpler? methods. The bulk of the logistical work required for the vote to take place must also be done for the general election renting polling locations, hiring polling officials, etc.) It is also fairly simple for voters to understand the concept of a second ballot asking a question on a public policy issue. In general, turnout typically reflects what is seen during the general election as the voter does not need to perform any extra steps or attend a separate polling location in order to vote in the referendum or plebiscite; While it is not possible to contain all costs associated with holding a referendum or plebiscite in conjunction with a general election within the broader election costs, the additional costs are less than what would be experienced with other options. This would include costs related to the printing of a second set of ballots, additional staffing costs related to the extra training and administration associated with the second vote taking place, public education costs related to the referendum or plebiscite vote what the voting process involves and how and when results will be reported, etc.). As for timing, given that the province only recently held its 28th General Election, the opportunity to conduct an additional vote with a general election will not take place until the next scheduled election, statutorily set for November 2, 2020. It is worth noting that the current act and 7 Since 1991 the following 14 national, provincial and territorial referendums and plebiscites have been held in Canada: 1992-National Referendum on the Charlottetown Accord; 1995?Quebec Referendum on Sovereignty; 1995-Newfoundland Labrador Referendum on Term 17 (Denominational Schools); 1995- Nunavut Municipal Lands Referendum; 1997?Newfoundland Labrador Referendum on Education Reform; 2001-New Brunswick Plebiscite on Video Lottery Terminals; 2002-British Columbia Treaty Negotiations Referendum; 2004?Nova Scotia Plebiscite on Sunday Shopping; 2005?British Columbia Referendum on Electoral Reform; 2005-Prince Edward island Plebiscite on Electoral Reform; 2007?Ontario Referendum on Electoral System Reform; 2009-British Columbia Referendum on Electoral Reform; 2011-British Columbia HST Referendum; 2016-Nunavut Municipal Lands Plebiscite. regulations, while still in need of extensive updates to administer this type of vote, already contemplate this option and provide general guidelines for how Elections Saskatchewan could proceed with preparations. Option 2. ReferendumIPlebiscite using an in-person vote that is not held at the same time as a general election: In administering this type of referendum or plebiscite, preparations would essentially ?mirror? what takes place for a general election minus the presence and interactions of candidates or registered political parties. Administratively, this would be a very challenging option. Elections Saskatchewan would be required to engage its Field Leadership Team in all 61 constituencies across the province to carry out all preparations and administration of the vote. This would mean securing temporary office space in every constituency, finding polling locations to hold the vote, recruiting, hiring and training more than 10,000 polling officials, etc. Of the four options presented in this paper, this option is also undoubtedly the most expensive. Costs could be expected to closely resemble those of the April 4, 2016 general election with the exception of the reimbursements provided to candidates and registered political parties, approximately $21 million. Again, it is worth noting that the existing act and regulations already contemplate a stand-alone referendum or plebiscite and would only require updating as opposed to completely new development. Option 3. ReferendumIPlebiscite administered using a ?postal vote?: This option would be new to the province but has been successfully used in other jurisdictionss, including British Columbia for its 2011 referendum on the Harmonized Sales Tax.9 While many details would need to be confirmed, the approach would be for every registered voter in the province to receive a ballot package in the mail along with clear instructions on how to vote and the deadline for returning their ballot to Elections Saskatchewan. A concurrent advertising campaign would encourage any eligible voter who did not receive a package to register or update their registration. The timelines of the ?voting period? would need to be long enough for voters who do not receive a ballot package in the initial mail?out to request, receive and mail back their completed package. 8 Postal voting has become mandatory in some US States over the past two decades. In 1998 voters in Oregon passed an initiative requiring all elections in the state to be conducted by mail. In 2011, the Washington legislature passed a law requiring all of its counties to conduct vote-by-mail elections. As of 2013, all electors in Colorado receive a mail in ballot automatically. 9 A full report on 803 2011 HST referendum is available at HST-Referendum-Rebort.bdf. In terms of administering a postal vote, the entire process could be managed centrally at the head office level. While this type of vote has been conducted elsewhere in Canada, Elections Saskatchewan would need to conduct further research to determine how to most efficiently manage such a process. At this point, it is difficult to estimate exact costs related to administering a postal vote, but experience elsewhere indicates that it would be substantially less than half the cost of a standalone, in- person vote offered across the province. Equipment and space for processing mailed ballots would need to be procured, and additional personnel would need to be hired or contracted to supplement the Elections Saskatchewan head office team. Postage would be a significant expense. Given that Saskatchewan does not have any history of conducting votes in this manner, comprehensive public communications would be required to describe the voting process. Nevertheless, the expectation is that this Option would be the most efficient in terms of cost for a referendum or plebiscite conducted outside of an election period. A legal framework to allow a postal vote does not currently exist and would need to be created in order for this option to be pursued. Option 4. Referendum/Plebiscite administered using the Internet and/or Telephone Voting: Again, this option would be new to Saskatchewan but there is an emerging precedent of electronic voting being used for a public consultation vote in a Canadian province. Prince Edward Island?s plebiscite on electoral reform (which has a public education process currently underway)10 will feature internet and telephone voting taking place from October 29 to November 7, 2016. In PEI, the option of electronic voting is to be accompanied by two days of in-person voting on November 4 and 5. In addition, there is an extension ofthe franchise, and 16 and 17-year old Islanders will be able to register and vote in the plebiscite. In order to ensure integrity, an online or telephone vote would involve every registered voter being sent a letter containing a unique personal identification number (PIN) that they would use to cast their ballot online or over the telephone. Administratively, this type of process could be managed centrally but given the nature of internet and telephone voting, a third-party service provider would need to be contracted to support the voting process. As with Option 3 above, Saskatchewan does not have a history of conducting votes in such a manner and wide-ranging public communications would be required. No legal framework is currently in place that would permit electronic voting during a provincial referendum or plebiscite. 1" See for details. 5.0 Additional Considerations Within the four broad questions listed earlier and the four voting method options listed above, there is a considerable range of issues and details to be considered. In addition, there are a number of additional policy items that deserve careful review on the part of legislators. The list below is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather to bring forward a number of additional topics that should be considered. These include: - 0 Establishing a legal framework of campaign regulations that ensures referendum/plebiscite advertising sponsors and interested parties are registered and are required to make appropriate disclosures about their identity as part of their advertising messages; 0 Ensuring appropriate spending limits and public financial disclosure requirements are established and enforced for both proponent and opponent groups campaigning for support; 0 Potentially selecting and providing public funding to official "umbrella" proponent and opponent committee groups to officially represent each side of the debate in a formal manner and coordinate the involvement and funding from supporting groups and individuals; -- Clarifying whether the vote should be conducted and tallied on constituency boundaries or province-wide; - Ensuring mechanisms are in place to confirm the integrity of the voting process and ballot counting for interested parties, including the presence of observers and agents during key processes; and Clarifying the Chief Electoral Officer?s reporting responsibilities following the completion of the referendum or plebiscite. 6.0 Recommendation This discussion paper presents four voting options for conducting a referendum or plebiscite and there are undoubtedly additional options and variations that could be developed or pursued. As mentioned, Prince Edward Island is utilizing both internet and telephone electronic voting as well as in-person voting in a plebiscite vote this fall. Each option requires legislative and/or regulatory change as well as extensive planning and operational preparations within Elections Saskatchewan. The purpose of this discussion paper is to bring these issues to the forefront and prompt discussions within the Legislative Assembly on the appropriate path forward. Without further clarity of direction, details on the timing and estimates of the costs of a referendum or plebiscite cannot be meaningfully provided and amount to little more than rough estimates. Ultimately, it is my recommendation as Chief Electoral Officer that a referendum or plebiscite conducted using a postal vote (Option 3) offers the best path forward if the timing of public consultation is to be separate from a general election. On balance, a postal vote approach introduces a reliable approach that is cost effective, affords wide accessibility to participating voters, has a proven record of facilitating the integrity of such a vote, and allows flexibility with respect to implementation within an electoral cycle. The other three approaches described in this paper a referendum/plebiscite held in conjunction with a general election (Option an in-person referendum/plebiscite not held in conjunction with a general election (Option 2), and; a referendum/plebiscite administered using the Internet or telephone voting (Option 4) do not meet these criteria to the same degree as a postal vote. While an in?person vote held during a general election may be a suitable option in an election year, it cannot be applied for a period of four years. In turn, an in-person vote held separate from a general election would be a very expensive, time consuming task. Finally, while at first glance a referendum or plebiscite conducted using the Internet or telephone voting has many of the same as a postal vote, it does not have a proven track record in this country and carries with it a great number of integrity risks. Any updated legislation or regulation related to referendums or plebiscites should also take into consideration the regulatory side of my office?s responsibilities. During an electoral event (as well as during a public consultation vote held alongside a general election under existing rules) there are restrictions put in place on spending, both on the part of candidates and registered political parties. Government institutions are also restricted in their advertising activities in the lead up to a provincial election and completely banned from advertising during an election period (except for some very specific exceptions). These types of rules help create a level playing field for all parties and are essential for the integrity and acceptance of the results of a referendum or plebiscite vote. 10 Until Elections Saskatchewan is offered more guidance from legislators with respect to a legislative/regulatory framework, it really is not possible to offer significant detail regarding the administrative approach that would be pursued in conducting a referendum or plebiscite. However, the timeline chart that appears on the following page offers an initial set of proposed steps that can be expected in completing a postal vote exercise, based on best practice and lessons learned in other comparable jurisdictions. From the point at which Elections Saskatchewan would receive updated legislation/regulations, allowing a postal vote for a referendum or plebiscite, the entire process would take a minimum of 164 days. This compares favorably to public consultation votes held in other provinces. For example, referendum period on repealing the HST lasted from March 25, 2011, the date on which the vote was announced to August 25, 2011, the day on which results were declared a span of 154 days. This was in a jurisdiction that already had a recent history of conducting referendums/plebiscites using a postal voting method and had the required infrastructure and systems in place. As has been stressed throughout this discussion paper, it remains very challenging to provide definitive process descriptions or cost estimates without knowing the exact legal framework under which my office would administer a referendum or plebiscite. For purposes of discussion, however, a preliminary budget estimate of the costs of administering a postal vote has been developed. Readers should bear in mind that these costs may change depending on a number of factors including: a how the legal framework is defined and the vote is to be administered; a the competitive bids that contractors and service providers provide; and 0 any efficiencies identified in the process of defining the detailed requirements of the full range of processes and related resources needed. The estimated cost of administering a referendum or plebiscite using a postal vote is $4.0 million. As mentioned, these costs may fluctuate based on a multitude of factors, including the final legislativelregulatory instructions. 11 bill?. Task Name Shunt-on Timeline for Implementing Referendum/Plebiscite using Postal Vote 164 days 0 0 Modified Legislation Regulations Come into Force 0 days 0 0 Event Preparations 5 days Prepare Work Plan, Schedules, Admin Reports, Event Budget 5 days - Develop Policies, Procedures, Guides, Manuals {re?ecting new legal framework) 53 days Documenting Detailed Processes Policies 33 days Development of Required Training 8? Public Education Materials 25 days 29 53 Order Issued for Referendum or Plebiscite 0 days 54 54 - Ballot Package Development Mailout 41 days Finalize Design of Mail Voting Package Content 7 days Development, Testing, Printing, Assembling of Packages 23 days Sort/Batch Ballot Packages for Mailout 10 days Ballots Issued via Mailout Packages 0 days - IT Systems and Support, Logistics 40 days Engage Vendor to Implement Ballot Tracking and Veri?cation Functionality 20 days Assess, Order Install Required IT and Telephone Equipment 40 days Electoral Event Operations 100 days I Voter Registration 86 days Reactivate Voter Registration Infrastructure (VoterView) 5 days Operate Voter Registration 79 days fa. axing?. 1 g: - Public Call Center 100 days Engage Vendor and Set up Call Center Processes 20 days Operate Public Call Center 94 davs 153 I Tier 2 Support Desk 100 days Establish and Staff Head Of?ce Support Desk 25 days 78 Operate Head Of?ce Suppert Desk 94 days 153 - Communications and Reporting 110 days - 100 days Finalize Creative Direction, Messaging, Call to Action Info 15 days Implement Public initiatives 94 days Start of Voting Period 0 days 68 153 94 W144 153 Key for Reading this Chart Deadline for Receipt and Consideration of Ballots 0 days 153 153 this W224 a Results Reporting 10 days a a chart, refers to the timeline in Tabulate and Summarize Final Counts 10 days 154 153 months (month 1 t0 wz4-3 oilSQS?ne?l?m?ooESoESo?SooESgg Voting Period 60 days ceo Declares Results 0 davs 163 153 Within the table time is measured in weeks and days (W01-1 refers to week 1, day 1; week 24-3 means week 24, day 3. etc.). 7.0 Conclusion Whether or not a referendum or plebiscite will be required to obtain input from the citizens of Saskatchewan into the resolution of any pending or potential provincial public policy question, it is necessary to update the legal framework that establishes how such votes are to be undertaken in the province. Current regulations, in particular, are seriously out of alignment with existing election laws and feature references being made to legislation that no longer exists. If legislators wish to give consideration to holding a public consultation vote separately from a general election, the rules for how such ?stand?alone? votes are to be conducted needs some priority attention to update the current statutory and regulatory framework. If the timing of a public consultation vote is to be separate from a general election, it is the recommendation of the Chief Electoral Officer that any appropriate legislative provisions and regulations be introduced that will permit the office to administer a referendum or a plebiscite using a postal vote methodology. Elections Saskatchewan would be pleased to work with the assigned committee of legislators, as well as legislative and regulatory drafters, to inform this process. Amending the current legislative and regulatory framework to allow for a postal voting process would permit Election Saskatchewan to make necessary operational preparations and fulfill its mandate of being prepared to conduct a referendum or plebiscite should one be required. This legislative and regulatory framework should ensure a level playing field for all campaign activities and campaign participants. Considerations fut Mod Elnizing Refer :ndum and Hehistile Ruin - CEO Discmsim Paper [v1.0] FINAL 13