The Ken Cheveldayoff campaign has been employing a different tactic in getting out the vote in the leadership race.
Their campaign has set up “vote stations” in about 40 to 50 Saskatchewan locations, to help voting Sask Party members cast their mail-in ballots in the leadership race.
One of those voting stations was set up in North Battleford at 504 Frontier Way on Tuesday, Jan. 9.
There, Cheveldayoff volunteers were on hand to assist voting members with respect to such things as providing information about how to mark the preferential ballots used in this race, as well as meeting the ID requirements by the party to vote. It is a party requirement that all mail-in ballots be accompanied by photocopies of identification to be counted.
A private voting booth is also set up so people can mark their ballots. Ballot envelopes are then collected into boxes to be shipped to Regina and be counted by the party.
In speaking to the News-Optimist by phone Tuesday, Cheveldayoff said the voting stations are meant to assist anyone who might not be familiar with the ID and other requirements of voting in a leadership contest.
“Any questions they may have, somebody will be on site to help them with that,” Cheveldayoff said.
The vote stations are not officially sanctioned by the Sask Party, but are within the rules, said Cheveldayoff.
“Anything we can do to assist voters in the process, the democratic process, is very well received,” said Cheveldayoff. “Of course, they not endorsed or anything by the Saskatchewan Party, but they are within the rules. So, it’s just one campaign going above and beyond to assist voters.”
Each voting station is promoted on the Cheveldayoff campaign website as “Sask Party Vote Station Sponsored by Ken Cheveldayoff.” However, the vote stations are available to all members of the party to use, with party members free to cast votes there for whoever they choose – even for other candidates.
Cheveldayoff said other campaigns are welcome to show up. “We had that happen in Saskatoon where a representative of Scott Moe came to our campaign voting station, and we’re happy to accommodate them as well.”
Voting stations are not a new idea in leadership contests. Cheveldayoff said voting stations were previously used by the winning Andrew Scheer campaign for the Conservative leadership last year and “is being well received here also”.
That Conservative contest also utilized a mail-in preferential ballot. Conservative members also had the option of voting at the leadership convention, something the Sask Party is also doing.
While Sask Party members can vote at the convention instead of by mail, Cheveldayoff says he is urging his supporters not to take any chances, and to mail in their ballot no later than the 23rd in order to be counted in time.
Other campaigns have not been utilizing voting stations. When interviewed by the News-Optimist recently, both Scott Moe and Gord Wyant said their campaigns have been concentrating on making phone calls and sending emails to encourage people to vote, as well as continuing to hold events and meetings with party members.
The priority for the Cheveldayoff campaign in the final days before the Jan. 27 leadership convention is a similar one to the others: to get out the vote.
While campaign volunteers have been telephoning potential supporters and reminding them to vote, Cheveldayoff has concentrated on continuing to meet people and do door-knocking in the various communities. He was in Swift Current on Tuesday and was in the Kindersley area previously.
The candidate says he is encouraged by the reaction so far.
“It’s been very favorable,” said Cheveldayoff, who once again said he was “the grassroots candidate” in the race.
“That’s why I’m out door-knocking in Swift Current today, and I hope to get to the Battlefords in the next little while. I’ve been to the Battlefords several times because of the strong, strong support that I have there.”
