Advance voting in Comox Valley elections starts today. How many of you will vote?

I n local government elections, the official campaign period lasts a mere four weeks. For some people, that’s long enough. They can’t wait for the signs to come down and for candidates to stop knocking on their door.

But that really isn’t much time at all for such an important event as choosing your local government.

And for those who aren’t nerds about local politics, voting can be a difficult task. It takes a concerted effort to scope out the candidates that best represent your views. And you don’t get a lot of help. There are too few events to meet and listen to the candidates. Local news outlets and social media could do a lot better.

Nobody does polling for municipal elections, so the only speculation available on who’s the odds-on favorite to win circulates in pubs and barber shops.

The sure bet is that 2026 will be a transition year in Courtenay. New faces and new ideas will make up at least half of the next Courtenay Council and possibly in the mayor’s office. The Town of Comox looks like the real wild card. The town is at a crossroads that pits taller buildings and development density at any cost against a groundswell of neighborhood activism demanding meaningful public engagement and thoughtful growth.

Our recommendations are based on the premise that it is the responsibility of challengers to show why they would do better than the incumbents. In Courtenay this year, most of the 16 challengers failed to make that case. But a few did, and we hope they will mix with the remaining incumbents for a more ideologically diverse council.

In Comox, the reverse is true. The challengers have made a case for change. They are offering a fresh way forward that works collaboratively with the community, rebuilds trust with the council and the town and evolves with population growth gracefully. We’re hearing that residents have tired of an adversarial relationship with the town.

Decafnation’s four-person Election Advisory Board realizes that some readers won’t agree with our recommendations. We’re okay with that. Information, not persuasion, is our objective.

Today, we publish our recommendations for Comox and Courtenay. Tomorrow, we’ll recommend for Cumberland and the regional Electoral Areas.