Ward 5 byelection on April 10 to fill vacant seat

By Kirk Winter

A byelection will be held for Ward 5, which roughly covers all areas of Lindsay north of Kent Street.

At a special meeting, Kawartha Lakes council approved the timing and structure for the Ward 5 byelection to replace Eric Smeaton, who was unable to serve out his entire four-year term. Council endorsed a bylaw prepared by clerk Cathie Ritchie that will see voting in Ward 5 begin on April 1 and end on April 10, with all votes being cast via the internet.

Ritchie told council in her presentation that the city was close to securing a well-thought of vendor who will manage the internet-only voting and “had good references, good cyber-security, proper insurance in place and good references from work in other municipalities.”

Ritchie reminded council that each potential Ward 5 candidate will need to accumulate 25 signatures of support before submitting their paperwork to the clerk’s office. Ritchie said the candidate can come from any ward within the city, and may only begin campaigning once certified by the clerk’s office.

Ritchie said the estimated cost for running the by-election is approximately $30,000 with funds necessary for election software, hardware rental, printing and mailing information to voters, advertising the upcoming vote and staff overtime.

After some discussion about where the data comes from to create the voters list and the possibility of offering telephone voting for those without computer access, council overwhelmingly approved the bylaw as written.

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