Saskatoon election: Few hiccups in 2020

CTV News caught up with residents as they headed to the polls Wednesday, and some voters said their democratic right to vote was delayed because of a question about ballots at a polling place.

Yet for those who remember the 2020 election, that was far from the problem.

It was a very different day, weather-wise, for voters like Simon Houston who went to the super vote at City Hall.

Similarly, Jayden Bissky, who works downtown, went to the polls on his lunch break from work.

“It’s pretty nice outside. I didn’t need a jacket today,” Bissky said.

This is quite different from the last time we elected mayor and council, when a blizzard in 2020 resulted in voting being extended past Election Day to allow people to get to the polls.

This time there was a brief hiccup at a polling place in Montgomery. The city confirmed that voters in that neighborhood could not mark their X at 8:00 a.m. when voting was scheduled to start.

City Clerk Adam Tittemore told CTV News in an email that the polling place on St. Dominic School experienced a “supply-related challenge” and was not able to open until around 8 p.m. 8:30.

Once the ballots were available, voting resumed as normal.

Among those we spoke to who went in and out of polling stations, there was a common issue on their minds.

“Homelessness is a big problem. Then there’s all this resistance in all these neighborhoods because they don’t want a homeless shelter near them because they think their kids or teenagers are going to be corrupted by the people who coming from the shelter,” said Simon Houston.

“A lot of people talk about homelessness,” Bissky said.

“Issues like homelessness and crime at the center, especially,” Bissky added.

Some of those we caught up with expect change at City Hall this election, like Jasmine Doran, who vetted the mayoral candidates to make sure they were in sync with what she saw as important to the city.

“What I really want to know is not just what issues are important to them, but how they’re going to solve those issues. So definitely looked for that.”

“It’s going to be exciting to see who wins. Personally, I want to see a woman win for mayor. I think it would be a nice change of pace,” Houston said.

Sarita Chauhan is originally from India and experienced her first vote in a civic election.

“I feel really proud that I voted today. This is a great opportunity for me, how this city will grow and how we can see the different changes in the city. It is a great experience for me.”