It’s official: Election Day 2023 is in the rearview mirror. The votes have been counted. The winners have been declared.
Now what? When do the winning candidates get to start their new jobs?
The short answer: That depends.
If you’re state Rep. Peter Durant, R-Worcester, and you’re on track to win the special election for the Worcester and Hampshire state Senate seat, there are a couple of factors in play.
One big one is the office of Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk, which has oversight of such things. A spokesperson for Spilka’s office told MassLive that it had not yet set a date for the swearing-in ceremony. That date “will be set after the election,” the spokesperson said.
That’s because there are some moving parts that will have to figured out first.
- Read More: Rep. Peter Durant declares victory in Worcester, Hampshire Senate district special election
Under state law, new senators are sworn in by the sitting governor and the Governor’s Council, Debra O’Malley, the spokesperson for Secretary of State William Galvin, told MassLive. But that new lawmaker can’t be sworn in until after the results are certified.
That certification falls to the governor and the Governor’s Council. And because the panel “only meets on Wednesdays, it typically depends on their schedule,” O’Malley told MassLive.
A calendar on Galvin’s website typically prescribes the first Wednesday in January after Election Day. Assuming no hiccups, that means it could happen as early as Jan. 3, 2024.
Unofficial tallies showed Durant defeating fellow state Rep. Jon Zlotnik, D-Worcester, in the closely watched contest to replace former Democratic Sen. Anne Gobi, who vacated the seat last May to become rural affairs director in Gov. Maura Healey’s administration.
- Read More: Election Day 2023: The polls are closed, Massachusetts. Stay with MassLive for the latest
Durant’s win was a big one for Massachusetts Republicans, who’ve looked at the special election as an opportunity to gain more political ground in the overwhelmingly Democratic state Senate.
Local elections officials, meanwhile, have up to 15 days to certify their results and report them to Galvin.
But “how quickly they can certify will often depend on any outstanding overseas ballots,” which can arrive up to 10 days after Election Day, as long as they’re postmarked by Nov. 7, O’Malley told MassLive.
Once all the certified results are in hand, they’re provided to the governor and the Governor’s Council for certification, O’Malley said.
