The onset of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has fostered new concerns among residents in assisted living facilities and care homes — how to safely vote.

Senior residents who overcame months of isolation and limited outside contact have, as high-risk voters, also had to deal with restrictions on assistance and understanding new voting methods for Monday’s Saskatchewan election.

Peta Rich, a resident of Wintergreene Estates Retirement Residence in Regina described herself as an active voter. Between balancing doctor’s appointments and a weakening health condition, Rich has not been able to participate in this election.

“I have always been political and made sure I voted but this would be the first time I haven’t voted in my life,” said Rich.

Having recently been diagnosed with brain cancer, Rich described the difficulties of balancing health and being an active voter.

“Right now my health is the most important thing,” said Rich.

This is the reality of many of the Wintergreene residents. Despite their willingness to actively participate in this election, safety is a priority.

“Because of radiation and chemo, I haven’t been able to do as much as I like,” said Rich. “It is difficult for me to say but I haven’t been as knowledgable this election.”

For residents like Rich, the options are proxy votes or mail-in ballots. Delegating a representative on behalf of the absentee voter has become a common practice among residents in poor health. For many, the reality is that underlying health conditions and doctor’s appointments make voting arrangements difficult.

A manager at another Regina seniors’ residence, who didn’t want her name used, said that Elections Saskatchewan is working diligently to ensure the safety of the residents.

“Polling stations will be reduced to allow for social distancing, hand sanitizer will be available, masks will be mandatory and pencils will be one-use only,” said the manager.

“Voting times will be between 10:30am and 3:30pm with two polling stations. Elections Saskatchewan has arranged all of this with us beforehand.”

Tim Kydd, Senior Director of Elections Saskatchewan, said advance polls and mail-in ballots were the most common forms of voting for high-risk individuals. There were five days prior to election day for advance polling and an Oct. 15 deadline for mail-in ballots.

“There are a list of 410 polling stations in Saskatchewan,” said Kydd. “For those who do not have polling stations, mail-in voting will be accepted from August to the last week before the election.”

Despite the adjustments around voting methods, senior residents agree the staff in the care homes have done an outstanding job maintaining safety as a priority.

“Wintergreene has done a wonderful job of keeping everyone in the loop around the election,” said Rich.

“We have had information sent and there are signs. There are a lot of people I know who have made arrangements beforehand to vote in the advance polls. They seem quite happy with the advance polls … all things considering.”

Premier Scott Moe strongly encouraged advance voting in a press interview. Referring to the provincial election as “election week,” Moe said the importance of voting ahead of time.

“This year, there are more advance poll locations and they are open longer hours, so it’s a great chance to vote early and beat the rush on election day,” said Moe.

Mail-in ballots have been widely used across the province. In 2016 there were less than 5,000 mail-in ballots and now more than 70,000 have used advance polls, said Kydd.

The high number of mail-in ballots shows the commitment of the Saskatchewan people. Taking health precautions seriously, the province saw a drastic jump in pre-election day participation.

Dr. Micheal Boda, Chief Electoral Officer of Saskatchewan, said the province has seen record number of vote by mail applications and advance voting turnout.

“Organizing and delivering a provincial election during a pandemic has been challenging and we are really encouraged by the participation so far,” said Boda.