When will the person who wins Thursday's City of Memphis special election be sworn in to complete the term vacated when Willie Herenton resigned?
It appears it could happen by the end of next week but likely will not occur until Oct. 26 or 27, the Monday or Tuesday of the following week.
According to City Council attorney Allan Wade, state election laws mandate that the Shelby County Election Commission must certify results of an election "no later than the second Monday after the election," which in this case would be Oct. 26.
According to an e-mail from Wade: "The Election Commission must meet and certify the results in writing signed by a majority of the Commissioners. This certification must be delivered to the City's chief administrative offices. Once this has been done the winning candidate is eligible to take the oath of office and is then Mayor."
Election Commission chairman Bill Giannini said that the earliest they believe an audit could be completed and certification of voting delivered would be Oct. 22, or next Thursday. A more realistic date, however, is Oct. 26.
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