Early voting begins Saturday for Oct. 24 elections
Voters can get a jump on casting ballots for the Oct. 24 elections when early voting begins Saturday.
In addition to seven statewide offices, including governor, voters will decide on four proposed constitutional amendments, legislative and other district races, and local elections.
Early voting will take place in parish registrars of voters’ offices from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday through Saturday, Oct. 10-17, except for Sunday.
Each voter will need to bring a photo ID, such as a driver’s license, when going to vote early.
“We want people to vote early,” Rapides Parish Registrar of Voters Lin Stewart said.
Doing so ensures their votes will be counted even if they have to go out of town or otherwise get tied up on Oct. 24.
Stewart said she’s expecting 500 to 700 early voters each day, but she emphasized, “The line does move fast.”
Rapides Parish has 83,125 eligible voters, and Stewart said that based on voting patterns, around 50 percent may participate in the Oct. 24 elections.
Louisiana has 2,894,775 eligible voters, and they will decide on races for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general, insurance commissioner and agriculture commissioner.
The race to succeed Bobby Jindal as governor features nine candidates, but only four are considered major candidates based on polling numbers.
The four are Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, state Rep. John Bel Edwards and U.S. Sen. David Vitter. Edwards is a Democrat, while the other three are Republicans.
One of the other five gubernatorial candidates is from Central Louisiana — Jeremy “JW” Odom, no party-Natchitoches.
Four proposed constitutional amendments are on the ballots statewide. Nos. 1 and 2 deal with transportation funding; No. 3 would give lawmakers more leeway in the types of bills that can be filed in fiscal-only sessions; and No. 4 would deny the property tax exemption for public property owned by another state or a political subdivision of another state.
Rapides Parish voters will decide whether Sheriff William Earl Hilton should get a sixth term. His challengers are William "Billy" Burns Jr., Robert Dukes and Roy A. "Bubba" James Jr.
Legislative races that affect Rapides Parish are in Senate District 29, Senate District 35 and House District 27. The other legislative seats in Rapides were filled by candidates without opposition.
Joshua Joy Dara Sr. of Pineville and Jay Luneau of Alexandria are the candidates seeking to succeed Rick Gallot of Ruston in Senate District 29.
In Senate District 35, Stewart Cathey Jr. of Monroe faces Jim Fannin of Jonesboro, a state representative who is term-limited.
Rep. Chris Hazel of Ball is being challenged for his House District 27 seat by Chris Tyler of Pineville.
La. voters to decide on 4 constitutional amendments
Six of the nine Rapides Parish Police Jury seats were won by incumbents who were not opposed.
The three Police Jury races to be decided are in District D, where incumbent Theodore Fountaine Jr. is being challenged by Angelina Iles; District E, where James P. Marien is challenging incumbent Richard Vanderlick; and District G, where incumbent Sean McGlothlin faces challenger Mark Atwood.
Also on the ballot in Rapides Parish is the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 5 race between Johnny Fatheree of Downsville and former Rapides Parish School Superintendent Gary Jones of the Alexandria area.
Runoff elections, where needed, will be held Nov. 21.
The Secretary of State’s Office says voters can use the smartphone app, GeauxVote Mobile, to find out where to vote, what’s on their ballot and their voting districts.
Flight IDs, Medicaid, minimum wage divide candidates
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BALLOTS ONLINE
To see the Oct. 24 ballots in each parish, go to www.sos.la.gov.