WORCESTER — Worcester residents, get up off your couches (or vote right from your couch). It’s that time to knock out the vote in the 2023 municipal election to elect the city’s mayor, councilors at-large, district councilors, district school committee and school committee at-large members.
Here are the basics you need to know for the election on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
First, polls in Worcester will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day. If you are voting on election day, there are more than 25 polling locations in Worcester. Find the map of locations, and plug in your address here to confirm your precinct and ward. However, early voting is open through Nov. 7 on several days at the Worcester Public Library and through mail-ins.
In Worcester’s 2021 municipal election, 17,326 residents voted, representing about 16.5 percent of registered voters in the city, according to City Clerk Niko Vangjeli.
“I hope for a larger turnout,” Vangjeli told the Worcester Guardian. “If vote by mail is an indicator of this year’s turnout, we should have a larger voter turnout than past municipal elections.”
While the office isn’t seeing an influx of newly- registered voters as it typically does in a presidential or state election, Vangjeli said, there “has been a growing number of online voter registrations. Our office is also focusing on pre-registering and registering high school students in WPS. “
To boost participation this year, more than 8,000 voter-by-mail ballots have been sent out to Worcester residents and early in-person voting offers seven days, including two weekend days, as opportunities to cast a ballot.
The vote-by-mail system allows for the receipt, completion and return of a ballot electronically using a secure web portal should there be a reason a voter cannot send the ballot via snail mail or in person.
“Voters in Worcester have more options than ever before,” said Vangjeli.
This time around, each district council race is a contested one, and there are five mayoral candidates (including incumbent Joseph Petty) and 11 at-large council candidates jockeying for six seats held by incumbents looking to keep those seats.
And for the first time, school committee members will be elected in a new configuration, with voters choosing six district-specific (A-F) members, and two at-large members who represent the entire district.
Three incumbents, and former WPS Superintendent Maureen Binienda battle it out for the two at-large seats. Only District C has a contested race for school committee, with Dianna Biancheria trying to keep Jermoh V. Kamara from knocking her out of her seat.
So, who’s on the ballot?
In case you missed it, the following candidates are on the ballot in the 2023 election. The Worcester Guardian reached out to all contested candidates. We’ve linked below the names of all who provided responses:
Mayor:
- Bill Coleman
- Donna M. Colorio
- Guillermo Creamer, Jr.
- Khrystian E. King
- Joseph M. Petty
Worcester City Council – At Large
- Bill Coleman
- Domenica F. Perrone
- Donna M. Colorio
- Guillermo Creamer, Jr.
- Johanna Hampton-Dance
- Joseph M. Petty
- Kate Toomey
- Khrystian E. King
- Maydee Morales
- Morris A. Bergman
- Thu Nguyen
District 1 Councilor
- David C. Peterson
- Jenny Pacillo
District 2 Councilor
- Candy F. Mero-Carlson
- Roberta A. Bilotta
District 3 Councilor
District 4 Councilor
- Katia Gisela Norford
- Luis Albizu Ojeda
District 5 Councilor
- Etel Haxhiaj
- Jose Antonio Rivera
School Committee – At Large
School Committee District A
- Molly O. McCullough
School Committee District B
- Vanessa Zuleyma Alvarez
School Committee District C
- Dianna Biancheria
- Jermoh V. Kamara
School Committee District D
- Alejandro Guardiola
School Committee District E
- Kathleen L. Roy
- Nelly Medina
School Committee District F
- Jermaine Lamont Johnson
Info, tips, feedback? Contact Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworceterguardian.org
