Victoria city staff are recommending that the byelection to replace former councillor and new NDP MP Laurel Collins be held April 4 at an estimated cost of $170,000.
A report going to committee of the whole next week recommends that city clerk Chris Coates be named chief election officer and that council confirm the appointment at its meeting on Jan. 16.
Once that's done, the byelection must be held on a Saturday no more than 80 days after the election officer's appointment.
In December, council approved a scaled-down byelection process that will save time and money by cutting back on the number of election-day voting stations, eliminating special on-site voting at seniors care homes, and limiting the amount of communications and advertising done to inform people about the byelection.
Staff at the time estimated the cost at $140,000 to $170,000 compared with $320,000 to $360,000 for a standard election.
The modified process reduced the number of voting stations on election day to four from 12, but offered more advance voting opportunities at city hall, with eight stations as opposed to five during a regular election.
In the latest report to council, staff recommend using five election-day voting stations instead of four as originally proposed. The sites would be selected based on population distribution, geography, accessibility and availability.
Council previously directed that the byelection include the use of an accessible voting machine and outreach to care facilities to inform them of mail-in ballot options.
As well, the city will mail out voter information to every Victoria household, and will continue to compile and post candidate-profile information on its website, something that was done during the last general election.
