Starting Monday, Aug. 25, Worcester voters have the chance to cast an early ballot in the preliminary election.
The election will determine which 12 of the 14 candidates running for city councilor-at-large will advance to the general election. The election will also determine which two of the three candidates running for the District E School Committee seat will move on to the final round.
From Monday, Aug. 25, through Friday, Aug. 29, voters can go to the Worcester Public Library to cast a ballot, according to the city’s elections commission website.
Voting hours at the library are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.
Election day will take place on Sept. 2, with polls open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the website.
Registered voters in Worcester can find their polling location here.
There are 14 candidates running for councilor-at-large, five of whom are incumbents. There are six councilor-at-large seats.
The candidates running for councilor-at-large are as follows:
- Joseph Petty (incumbent)
- Khrystian King (incumbent)
- Morris Bergman (incumbent)
- Kate Toomey (incumbent)
- Donna Colorio (incumbent)
- Satya Mitra
- Cayden Davis
- Jermoh Kamara
- Charles Luster
- Owura-Kwaku Sarkodieh
- Gary Rosen
- Jessica Pepple
- Edson Montero
- Bernard Iandoli
In addition to running for councilor-at-large, Petty and King are also running for mayor, a position currently held by Petty.
Any city councilor-at-large candidate who earns the most votes in the general election becomes mayor, according to the elections office.
Because of this stipulation, all at-large candidates technically run for mayor but they do have the option to opt out of the mayoral race and just run for city councilor-at-large, according to the city charter.
Councilor-at-large Thu Nguyen is not running for reelection this year.
For the District E School Committee member race, three candidates have qualified to appear on the Sept. 2 ballot.
The candidates are incumbent Kathleen L. Roy and challengers Noelia M. Chafoya and Nelly Medina.
The candidates who earn the first and second most votes will move on to the general election.
The races for Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 City Councilors already have two candidates, so there will be no preliminary election.
District 2 Councilor Candy Mero-Carlson will face off against challenger Robert A. Bilotta.
District 4 Councilor Luis A. Ojeda will run against Theodore A. Kostas and District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj will face off against Jose A. Rivera.
District 1 Councilor Jenny Pacillo and District 3 Councilor George Russell opted not to run for reelection this year.
Keith J. Linhares and Tony J. Economou are running to replace Pacillo in District 1.
John P. Fresolo and Robert F. Pazzella are running for the District 3 seat.
School Committee incumbents in Districts A, B, D and F are running unopposed this year, including Vanessa Z. Alvarez for District B, Alejandro Guardiola for District D and Jermaine L. Johnson for District F.
District A incumbent Molly O. McCullough was supposed to face off against challenger Ashley R. Spring but the city’s board of elections ruled them ineligible to be on the ballot because they do not meet the city’s residency requirement.
Spring, who uses they/them pronouns, was also present on Eureka Street when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested a Brazilian mother of three on May 8.
Spring sprayed water on a Worcester officer during the ICE arrest and faces multiple charges.
The list of candidates for school committee-at-large and District C is small enough not to require a preliminary election.
The two incumbent School Committee Members-at-Large, Maureen F. Binienda and Susan M. Mailman, have both qualified for the November ballot along with challenger Adwoa A. Sakyi-Lamptey. The two candidates who receive the first and second most votes in the election will be awarded the at-large seats.
District C incumbent Dianna Biancheria will run against Feanna S. Jattan-Singh.
The general election for all offices will take place on Nov. 4.
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