Lower Sackville byelection sparks interest from potential candidates

Prospective candidates in the upcoming Halifax municipal byelectionin Lower Sackville can now begin to filetheir nomination papers to run for the council seat.

The council position for District 15 opened up after the former councillor, Steve Craig, jumped to provincial politics, winning a seat as a Tory in the Nova Scotia Legislature in June.

Nominationsto run for the council job opened Tuesday and close on Sept10. The final day of voting takes place on Oct. 5. So far, eightpeople have indicated they are interested in representing the area.

The current councillor for adjacent District 15,Middle/Upper Sackville-Beaver Bank-Lucasville,said sheis not surprised by the number of potential candidates.

"I think it's an indication of the type of community that is here is Lower Sackville," said Lisa Blackburn. "Residents want to be involved and part of the solution."

This is the first time voting in the municipality will be completely done electronically. Registered voters will receive a voter cardwith an ID number, andwill be able to cast a ballot between Sept. 28 and Oct. 5 by phone or from a computer.

There will be polling stations for two days of advance polls and on election day. They will have computer terminals and election staff to help people with the process.

Kevin Arjoon, Halifax's municipal clerk and the chief returning officer for the byelection, said Markham, Ont., and Newmarket, Ont., have used the systems that Halifax has chosen.

"It's a pilot," said Arjoon. "We'll do a bit of analysis and we'll bring that information back for the 2020 [general municipal] election."

The new system will also allow candidates to regularly access the voter's list during the voting period to see who has already cast a ballot and who has not.

'We'll see if this make a difference'

Trysta Doary, one of the declared candidates, is interested to see what kind of an impact that information will have on the byelection.

"I'm really hoping that can help all of us increase the voter turnout," said Doary. "We'll see if this makes a difference."

Craig was acclaimed in 2016, butvoter turnout for District 15 in the 2012 general elections was 36.9 per cent. The last municipalbyelection, held in January 2016 for Dartmouth North. only had a voter turnout of 18 per cent.

This is also the first time new municipal campaign finance rules will be applied. That means contribution limits for candidates in Lower Sackville will be capped at $30,000.

No donations can be accepted from corporations or unions and individual contributions are limited to $1,000. Candidates are also not allowed to accept anonymous donations.

That rule was questioned at a recent candidatesworkshop by Boyd, who has run unsuccessfully in a number of municipal byelections since 2000.

"I think you should be able to pass the hat," said Boyd. "My finances have been from the grassroots, giving a buck here and a buck there."