Fun fact: You can vote in advance polls Nov. 1-4 in the Saskatoon city election. Funner facts: You can even use a drive through poll (often spelled “drive-thru, but I can’t handle that, even though I can handle “funner” apparently), which was instituted in the last election. Or you could mail in your ballot. Indeed, you could even email it, although the deadline for mail sign-up has passed. My point is that I’ve been noticing lately how much easier it is to vote these days. This is a good thing. Any method of making voting easier gets, well, my vote, because democracy. Also, I agree with the oft-quoted, “if you didn’t vote, don’t complain.” But let’s give everyone the old helping hand, whenever possible.

Do you remember the 2020 municipal election? Stormed like crazy the day before, leaving us with hip-deep drifts and spurred the powers-that-be to extend voting for four days. I did not know they would do that, though, early on election day. So, hubs and I pulled on our boots and parkas (and mitts and scarves, you know the drill . . .) and literally waded the two blocks to the polling station at the school. Yup, it’s so close I can hear the recess bell ring if I’m out in the yard. We are lucky to that extent. It was still a mini-workout. As we walked, our neighbour drove by us four times in his massive beast of a truck. He was circling the neighbourhood trying to mash down the snow so that people could at least meander down the middle of streets in their efforts to get to the poll. Bless his heart. He has since moved away, and I wonder if I will miss him this election day (ha). That was an act of community-focused kindness, no?

Anyway. We forebore and voted. But a lot of people didn’t or couldn’t. And for a lot of people, it’s not just snowdrifts and snowstorms that get in the way. There are mobility issues. There are vehicle-free status issues. I’m sure you can think of many more. So yes, I rather like this newish approach to offering more methods of voting. All of which is to say, it’s pretty hard to find an excuse to evade your right, privilege, and may I say duty, to mark that ballot. The question remains . . . who will you vote for? A very handy thing is the City of Saskatoon voter information portal, particularly for those of us who are in wards without incumbents and several candidates you may never have heard of.

We’re starting over in the wards where Hilary Gough (2), David Kirton (3), Cythia Block (6), Mairin Loewen (7) and Sarina Gersher (8) are not running. Bev Dubois (9) and Zach Jeffries (10) are uncontested. Block, of course, is running for mayor, which brings me to the point that we will also have a new mayor since Charlie Clark is stepping away. In this race, we have some known, somewhat known and unknown quantities. Former mayor Don Atchison is once again in the race, as is former Sask. Party minister Gord Wyant. Cary Tarasoff ran in the last election.

 The newest-comer is Mike Harder. You can check out their bios on the city’s website as well, along with the school trustee candidates. I whine frequently about the downsides of the Internet — shadowy websites and Facebook pages promoting certain candidates and slagging the present council, for example (see A Better YXE, although to be fair, some people are calling out comments on that page). In a more general way, social media is filled with trolls and hate and falsehoods. But the city election page is not one of those downsides. You can learn about candidates. You can put in your address and find your poll. You can even investigate the two previous elections.

That last page is a little disheartening, to be honest. In 2020, Saskatoon had 214,301 registered voters. Of those, 58,734 cast ballots, for a 27.41 per cent turnout. Really? I’d put money on it that the other 72.59 per cent of the voting population did not refrain from complaining.

Anyway. They are indeed trying to make it easy on us. I hope far more people take advantage and vote. I am going to walk, swim, wade, drive or run to my poll — whatever works on Wednesday, Nov. 13 — in person. I’m sure no one will notice, but it’s my way of saying here I am, and I am voting for candidates and for democracy.

– Joanne Paulson