Voters can head to the polls today for Richmond Hill’s mayoral byelection.

Starting on Saturday, polls will be open for three days for in-person voting to choose the city’s next mayor.

In-person voting times are below:

  • Saturday, January 22, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Sunday, January 23, 2022 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Monday, January 24, 2022 (Voting Day) from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Voters can also cast their ballot online until 8 p.m. on Jan. 24.

Although online voting opens the possibility for voter fraud, city clerk Stephen Huycke said the city is not worried about residents disobeying the law.

“No, we’re not concerned because we trust that the voters can only vote once and they can only vote when they’re entitled to do so. They can’t actually vote with someone else’s voter ID or voter pin,” he told CP24 on Saturday.

Residents should bring their voter information package and identification with their name and address when they go to vote.

Vote centre locations can be found on the city’s website.

Eligible residents who did not receive a package are asked to call the voter assistance helpline at 905-771-5555, visit the city’s website or visit a vote centre.

COVID-19 health and safety measures will be in place at all voting centres, including mandatory masks and physical distancing.

“We spent a lot of time working to ensure that voting will be safe and secure and fair for voters here in Richmond Hill,” Huycke said.

The byelection comes after longtime Mayor Dave Barrow announced in Sept. 2021 that he would be stepping down from his role after briefly returning to work following a medical leave.

He said “after much consideration” he had decided to leave his role in order to have more time to focus on his family.

This is the city’s second byelection during the pandemic, after the first was in Oct. 2020 for a York Region District School Board trustee.

Byelection results will be available on the city’s website after all voting centres have closed.