O'Connell On Worcester Ballot: Why A Dead Candidate's Name Stays

WORCESTER, MA — When Worcester residents go to the polls on Nov. 5, there will be 12 names on the ballot for at-large School Committee seats. One of them will be someone who died recently.

Former at-large Worcester School Committee member Brian O'Connell died several weeks ago. But his name can't be removed from the ballot for one main reason, according to election officials.

When O'Connell, 70, died on Oct. 18, Worcester had already printed ballots. The ballots had already been sent to absentee voters through the mail, and the city can't recall ballots if voting has already begun.

So what happens if you vote for O'Connell? Each vote will be recorded as a "tribute," according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office. If O'Connell ends up winning reelection, the candidate with the next-highest amount of votes will be elected.

Worcester voters will vote for six of the dozen at-large candidates, including O'Connell. You can see all the candidate running and profiles of them in our election guide.

O'Connell was first election to the School Committee in 1983, and worked as a local attorney and as school administrator, most recently at the Montrose School in Medfield.