Elections

The Township of Esquimalt will be conducting a by-election on April 5, 2025, to fill the Council vacancy resulting from Darlene Rotchford's resignation. Former Councillor Rotchford was elected to the provincial legislature in the October 2024 provincial election. The by-election will elect one candidate to fill the remainder of the current Council term until the next General Local Election is held in October 2026.

A by-election is required under the Local Government Act to fill the Council vacancy. Running a by-election includes all the same legislative requirements as a full election. Generally, a local election requires 8 -12 months to plan and conduct. Legislation allows a compressed timeline to conduct by-elections, however, there are several administrative and legislative tasks that must be completed to ensure a legal process prior to formalizing a General Voting Day date.

Required equipment, materials, and voting locations must be procured and delivered within specified timelines and elections staff need to be recruited and trained to help with voting procedures and to make sure legislated timelines are met throughout the elections process. Additionally, when selecting a General Voting Day, consideration is given to ensure legislated timelines such as public notifications and nomination and challenge periods do not coincide with dates where many voters and candidates may be unable to participate such as during significant holiday periods.

The appointment of a Chief Election Officer (CEO) initiates the by-election process and associated timelines. Once a CEO is appointed by Council, the Township must hold the by-election on a Saturday within 80 days of the appointment. The Township of Esquimalt anticipates that a Chief Election Officer will be appointed in January 2025 with General Voting Day scheduled on Saturday, April 5, 2025. There will be multiple voting opportunities as follows:

• Advanced Voting 1 - March 26, 2025
• Advanced Voting 2 - April 2, 2025
• Mail Ballots
• General Voting Day - April 5, 2025

More information will be communicated as additional details become available. Questions about the election may be sent to elections@esquimalt.ca or by calling 250-414-7177. Information and updates will be posted to the Township of Esquimalt's website regularly at www.esquimalt.ca/elections.