After councillor Laurel Collins left her position to represent Victoria as an MP in Ottawa, the city is required to hold a byelection to fill the vacant seat.
In a report to council, city clerk Chris Coates and other staff members have outlined their recommendation to hold this byelection on March 14th, 2020.
See also: First candidate revealed in byelection to replace Laurel Collins as Victoria councillor
This report highlights two options for how the upcoming election should be conducted, one of which is a modified election process while the second is standard.
Option one, recommended by staff, would have four locations for casting your ballot on voting day with eight stations for advance voting day options held at City Hall.
Advertisement for the elections in option one would be disseminated through existing online channels like the victoria.ca website, e-newsletters, social media and media alerts. This option would cost approximately $140,000 to $170,000.
The second option would follow the standard election process with 12 voting stations on General Voting Day, five advance voting stations, and ample advertisement carried out through online and print media. This option would cost between $320,000 to $360,000.
Mayor and councillors will discuss the two options at an upcoming Committee of the Whole meeting on Thursday, December 12th.
So far one independent candidate – Jeremy Caradonna – and two candidates seeking the endorsement of Together Victoria – Karmen McNamara and Kyle Empringham – have launched their campaigns for the 2020 byelection.
