Elections Regina, school board confident school municipal voting polls will be safe for Nov. 9 election

Many students and teachers will be in the middle of classes while ballots are being cast during the 2020 Municipal Election, however the Regina Public School Division and Elections Regina say it will be safe for both voters and students. 

The Regina municipal election is set for Nov. 9. Residents will elect the city council but also Regina Public School Board trustees and Regina Catholic School Board trustees. 

"We have worked closely with our partners in the school boards to to come up with some very practical and easy to implement steps," Jim Nicol said. Nicol is the city clerk and returning officer for the 2020 municipal and school board elections.

"We are not only ensuring the safety of voters and the election workers, but whoever else happens to be present in the polling station that day, whether that be a school or a community centre," he said. 

Nicol said the polling stations will have a number of protocols in place, including: 

• A designated entrance not used by the school that day.
• Aggressive screening protocols when people enter.
• Providing people entering the building with masks.
• Having extra cleaning staff for sanitizing people's hands when entering and leaving the station.
• Plastic barriers between workers and voters when voters give their information.
• Wiping everything down in between voters.
• Rope lines to ensure physical distancing when people cast their ballots in private.
• Physical distancing for workers.

"We've worked very hard on this," Nicol said. "We're taking our lead from the chief medical officer and we have worked closely with the respective school boards to ensure that we are all on the same page in ensuring that we provide people opportunities to vote in a number of ways and it's all done with safety at the utmost priority."

It was a priority to make sure no students come into contact with the voting public on election day, Nicol said. Staff will be placed at various places to make sure people aren't entering the wrong door and follow the signs. 

Curbside voting for people electing to not wear a mask

If someone chooses to not wear a mask while casting their vote, Nicol said they have curbside voting in place to help. 

"It remains safe. That remains confidential. It's just that we want to respect the safety of everybody," Nicol said. 

"We're very confident the process Elections Regina has put in place for the use of our school buildings," Terry Lazarou with the Regina Public Schools Division said. 

Some protocols that were key to the division were having people at the entrances to the school that won't be used for the polling station. 

"And we have assurances that there will be two people there that will be directing the voters to stay essentially in the place that has been designated for the poll, for the voting, and to not wander around the building going into the areas where students and staff will be," Lazarou said. 

The staff helping direct voters will make sure students and staff stay in their own cohorts without mixing with the general public, Lazarou said. As well, the polling station itself — typically in the gymnasium of the school — will be thoroughly cleaned the day after the election, before students use it again, he said. 

"A lot of the public don't realize that these are our elections as well," Lazarou said. "This is also for trustees … So these elections are just as important to school boards — and Regina Public Schools — as they are for Regina city councillors."

"So it's very important for us that this process happened and it is important for the democratic process of our city."