Brown wants to be sworn-in today

U.S. Senator-elect Scott Brown wants to be sworn Thursday afternoon, and asked Gov. Deval Patrick Wednesday to certify the Jan. 19 election results immediately.

In a letter sent by Brown campaign counsel Daniel Winslow, Brown's camp asked that Brown's election receive certification "without delay."

Winslow wrote that Brown had tentatively planned to be sworn in Feb. 11 but "he has been advised that there are a number of votes scheduled prior to that date. For that reason, he wants certification to occur immediately. As he is the duly elected United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, he is entitled to be seated now."

Brown aides were not available to elaborate on the anticipated votes.

Aides to Secretary of State William Galvin on Wednesday delivered stacks of locally certified US Senate special election results to the Governor's Council, which met at noon with Lt. Gov. Tim Murray chairing the gathering.

Murray said the council would reconvene at 9:30 a.m. Thursday to certify the results because Gov. Patrick needed to be present. Patrick toured downtown Taunton Wednesday morning and was scheduled to address the Taunton Chamber of Commerce at noon, just as the council was convening in Boston.

Brown won the election over Democrat Martha Coakley and once he receives an election certificate, he'll be a step closer to his swearing-in, which had been anticipated Feb. 11.

“Certification tomorrow will give them, if they make arrangements with the United States Senate or whatever else, he could be sworn in even sooner,” Murray said on Wednesday.

In his letter, Winslow asked to receive a duplicate original copy of the certified election results by 11 a.m. Thursday “so we may deliver the original by hand to the Secretary of the United States Senate in time to allow Senator-elect Brown to be administered the oath of office by the Vice President tomorrow afternoon.”

“As the Lieutenant Governor stated earlier today, the Governor will convene the Governor’s Council at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow morning and certify the results,” said Kyle Sullivan, a spokesman for Gov. Patrick. “This will ensure that Senator-elect Brown’s request to receive the final paperwork by 11:00 a.m. tomorrow is fulfilled.”

Galvin told the News Service Tuesday that the election results would be presented Wednesday.

“Certificates have been drafted and prepared, I will sign them tomorrow, I assume the governor will sign them tomorrow,” Galvin told the News Service Tuesday. Once Brown presents a letter of resignation from his Senate seat, the state can schedule a special election to succeed him, Galvin said. “The show’s on tomorrow. No conspiracy,” the secretary said Tuesday.

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