City councils in Martensville and Warman are laying the groundwork for municipal elections this fall.

Voters in urban municipalities will be electing a mayor and councillors in their respective communities when they go to the polls on Monday, November 9. Electors in rural municipalities will likewise be voting that day for Reeve and Councillors in odd-numbered divisions.

Voting in school board elections is also scheduled to take place November 9.

In both Warman and Martensville, the appointment of returning officers and other chief election officials, selection of polling places and many other details are now nailed down.

Both cities will be allowing electors to vote using a mail-in ballot. Warman City Council passed a bylaw to that effect on March 23, while Martensville adopted a similar bylaw at a meeting on Tuesday, June 16.

Warman will also be utilizing electronic voting for the first time in this election, a process that is supposed to speed up the vote count. This method also eliminates the need for numerous polling areas within the city; all electors will be able to vote at a centralized polling station. Warman council designated the Legends Centre as the polling station.

Martensville City Council decided not to use electronic voting in this election.

Warman council designated October 28 and 29, as well as November 3 and 4, as advance polling dates. Advance polls will be set up at the Brian King Centre. Special arrangements are also made to ensure residents of Diamond House Care Home and the Warman Mennonite Special Care Home can vote in advance polls October 29.

Municipalities have a choice, under Section 91 of the Local Government Election Act, 2015, to determine how the names of candidates will be listed on the ballots. Both Warman City Council and Martensville City Council chose to list candidates in alphabetical order.

Martensville will set dates and locations for advance polls at a later date.

Nominations will open for candidates for municipal office in late September.

Warman Mayor Sheryl Spence has already announced that she will not be seeking re-election this fall.

To be eligible to vote in municipal elections, electors must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years of age, and a resident or landowner in the municipality.

The municipal elections follow closely on the heels of the 2020 provincial election slated for Monday, October 26.