UPDATED: 8:48 p.m.
James Miller has been called the unofficial winner of the Penticton municipal byelection, taking 1666 votes in the election out of more than 5000 votes cast.
The winner was announced just before 9 p.m. on Saturday.
The votes in favour of the Skaha Marina being run by a private operator and entering into a long-term agreement of up to 25 years in order to fund the marina improvements and services passed by a narrow margin, with 2453 for yes, and 2416 for no.
UPDATED: 8 p.m.
The polls have closed for the Penticton municipal election, with ten candidates vying for the one open seat on council. Over 1991 people voted today in the byelection according to Deputy Electoral Officer Laurie Darcus, totalling more than 4512 votes with the 2521 advance votes cast.
The Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and Seniors' Drop-In Centre were both kept busy throughout Saturday evening as voters continued to come in.
While byelection turnouts can generally see lower numbers, it is notable that this one has the numbers it has, with close to half of the turnout seen to elect a mayor and entire council in 2018.
In 2018, the estimated eligible voter turnout for the Penticton Mayor and the entire council was 41.1 percent of the population, with 10,883 people casting ballots.
Ballot counting for the byelection begins at 8 p.m., viewers can watch the live ballot counting and election results here, through the City’s hosted live zoom meeting.
The zoom meeting link can also be found through the homepage of the City of Penticton website. As soon as the last voter in the PTCC Polling Station has cast their ballot and left the building, the live zoom meeting will begin.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the city is encouraging candidates and their representatives to stay home and watch a Zoom live view of the counting process at the close of voting.
According to the city, at approximately 8:30 p.m., the CEO will approach the camera with an update and when ready, will announce the preliminary election results. The total votes for each candidate and the results of the Community Opinion Question will then be displayed.
UPDATED: 2:44 p.m.
Approximately 1150 people have voted so far across the two polling stations for the Penticton municipal election day.
Deputy Electoral Officer Laurie Darcus stated over email that polling stations have been steady throughout the day, with no long lines appearing at Seniors Centre yet.
Not much of a wait at Penticton Trade and Convention Centre so far either, with just two to three people waiting to cast their votes.
Polls are open at the PTCC and the Seniors' Drop-In Centre until 8 p.m. on Saturday.
ORIGINAL: 4 a.m.
It's municipal election day in Penticton.
City council needs to fill one spot, left vacant by now-retired Coun. Jake Kimberley this winter following his health issues.
Polls are open at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and the Seniors' Drop-In Centre from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Ten candidates are in the running, and you can find links to detailed Q&As with each of them here.