There are four people in the running to fill a vacant seat on Merritt City Council.

Yvette Baxter, Peter Coghill, Norma Jean Littleton, and Michael Phillips are hoping to fill the seat that was vacated following the death of Councillor Claire Newman in a hit and run crash last July.

Baxter and Littleton were on the ballot in the 2022 general election, finishing 10th and 12th respectively. Baxter got 567 votes, while Littleton got 261.

Newman won the final seat on council, with 956 votes, which was good for sixth in a crowded field of 18 council hopefuls.

The winner of the April 20 by-election will serve on Merritt council until the next election, which is scheduled for Nov. 2026.

For more information on the upcoming byelection in Merritt, go here.