The city's first mail-in special election will kick off this weekend with the arrival of 54,136 City Council ballots in the mailboxes of residents of Kailua, Kane'ohe and Waimanalo.

The special election is needed to fill the District 3 seat vacancy created by the recent death of councilwoman Barbara Marshall.

Overall, 11 candidates are competing against each other on a less-than-two-month schedule.

The outcome of the race is viewed as pivotal to whether the balance of power on the council continues to favor strong supporters of Mayor Mufi Hannemann. Whoever fills that seat also is expected to play a key role on ongoing issues such as Honolulu's planned $5.4 billion commuter rail and the continued use of the Waimanalo Gulch landfill.

Other major issues for the community include the proliferation of so called bed-and-breakfast visitor accommodations, rising property taxes and urban encroachment.

With 11 people on the ballot, it's possible the winning candidate could have fewer than half of the votes. Honolulu elections administrator Glen Takahashi said whoever gets the most votes wins.

"There will be no runoff election," he said. "This is a winner-take-all, one-shot deal."

The two likely front-runners, based on name recognition, are John Henry Felix and Steve Holmes. Both have served on the City Council before.

The deadline for returning the postage-paid ballots to the city clerk is 6 p.m. April 23.

Ballots not received by then will not count.

No polling places will be open April 23. However, walk-in voting will be available Monday through April 21 at Honolulu Hale and the Pali Golf Course. Ballots also can be dropped off at Honolulu Hale until 6 p.m. April 23.

The winner of the election is expected to be announced on the evening of April 23.

The earliest the winning candidate can take office is May 13, assuming the results aren't challenged in court. That means the new council member could arrive at the tail end of negotiations on the city budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. The council has until June 15 to act on the budget ordinances and set property tax rates for the next fiscal year.

The mayor and council are considering raising property taxes and a host of fees, along with reducing spending in certain areas, to deal with a $50 million budget shortfall.

The sources of the shortfall include lower visitor arrivals, declining real estate values and rising unemployment.