Alto re-elected Victoria mayor, mail ballots delayed

Marianne Alto has been re-elected mayor of Victoria, according to preliminary results reported Saturday night and early Sunday by the Times Colonist and CHEK News.

The Times Colonist reported that Victoria’s council will get a refresh, with new members joining the table. Vote totals for the mayor’s race and the full council slate were not available in the reports reviewed, and the results remain unofficial until the city’s chief election officer declares them.

The vote was marked by problems with mail-in ballots. About 2,300 mail-in ballots were delayed in a Canada Post warehouse, CP24 reported in its election recap. Voters were told to return them to any voting place or to the City Hall drop box, and the Times Colonist reported the city had set out options for dropping off ballots that would not arrive in time.

CP24 also reported that an internet outage at James Bay Community School slowed voter check-in, and that voters there were directed to Crystal Garden.

Voters in other parts of the province also chose new leaders. In Metro Vancouver, we reported that Pete Fry defeated Ken Sim in Vancouver, that Doug McCallum was elected Surrey mayor, that Rob Howard was elected Richmond mayor and that Mike Hurley won a third term in Burnaby.

Final results, turnout figures and any recount requests for Victoria were not available in the reports reviewed. Official results are published by the City of Victoria.

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