The votes have been tallied and preliminary results have Becky Hogg winning the empty seat on North Cowichan council.
Hogg said she was overjoyed when her support team cheered when the results were posted.
"It felt incredible," she said.
"While it’s a short term with many learning curves, I’m ready for the challenge and will keep to my word with my platform. I'm looking forward to working alongside Christopher Justice, Bruce Findlay, Mike Caljouw, Tek Manhas, Chris Istace, and Mayor Rob Douglas."
The municipality held a byelection on Saturday, April 12 to fill a seat left vacant in the fall of 2024 when Debra Toporowski won the MLA race in the Cowichan Valley riding. Voting took place from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Advance voting took place on April 2 and 8.
Five candidates were vying for the spot including Hogg, David Bellis, Raymon Farmere, Johanne Kemmler, and Joanna Lord. Hogg won with 2,029 votes, followed closely by Lord with 1,962 votes, Bellis with 447 votes, Kemmler with 387 votes, and Farmere with 41 votes.
A total of only 4,866 people cast ballots in the byelection, out of approximately 28,684 eligible voters.
Official results will be declared on April 16.
"Thank you to everyone that took the time to vote, and to the many people who worked at polling stations," said North Cowichan Saturday night.
