Early voting begins Saturday

Despite Louisiana television stations seemingly at the saturation point with advertisements by the last two gubernatorial candidates standing, turnout for the Nov. 21 election may dip below the low turnout of the Oct. 24 primary election.
Cheryl Milburn, St. Landry Parish registrar of voters, estimates voter turnout could be as low as 36 percent in this month’s election.
Turnout for the governor’s primary election was 37.8 percent in St. Landry Parish. That was lower than the state turnout of 38.5 percent.
Voters in the neighboring parishes posted a better response to the primary election. Acadia Parish had a 44.6 percent turnout and Evangeline Parish had 41.2 percent in the governor’s primary.
“That was a very important election for us with the governor, lieutenant governor,” Milburn said. “People just did not get out and go vote. With less on the ballot this time I feel the turnout will be less than it was for the primary.”
Milburn said it hard to understand why people do not exercise their right to vote.
“They figure their vote won’t count, but yes it will,” she said.
The evidence for a single vote counting was in St. Landry Parish Council District 2 where a runoff spot was decided by one vote. Incumbent council member Leon Robinson had 445 votes, losing the runoff spot to Angela Brooks-Roberson who had 446 votes. The top vote-getter was Nancy Carriere with 601 votes.
The District 2 Council seat is the lone runoff for Parish Council.
The primary turnout in the District 41 state representative election was 41.1 percent; the District 24 state senate race drew 45.4 percent of the voters in the district; and the sheriff’s race in Acadia Parish drew a 44.5 percent turnout.
Early voting for the Nov. 21 election begins Saturday and ends Nov. 14. There will be no voting on Wednesday in observance of Veterans Day.
In St. Landry Parish, early voting is from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the registrar’s office, 118 S. Court St., Suite 114, Opelousas.
In Acadia Parish, early voting is at the Acadia Parish registrar of voters office, 568 NW Court Circle, Crowley.
In Evangeline Parish, early voting is conducted at the registrar’s office 200 Court St., Suite 102, Ville Platte.
Voters should bring a current Louisiana driver’s license or Louisiana identification card and voter identification card.
In the primary election, St. Landry Parish followed the state vote only in the gubernatorial election.
The state results in the governor’s race included: John Bel Edwards, 40 percent; David Vitter, 23 percent; Scott Angelle, 19 percent; and Jay Dardenne, 15 percent.
In St. Landry Parish the gubernatorial vote included: Edwards, 49 percent; Vitter, 15 percent; Angelle, 23 percent; and Dardenne, 10 percent.
In the lieutenant governor’s primary, state results included: Melvin “Kip” Holden, 33 percent; Billy Nungesser, 30 percent; Elbert Guillory, 8 percent; and John Young, 29 percent.
In St. Landry Parish, the lieutenant governor’s results included: Holden, 38 percent; Nungesser, 17 percent; Guillory, 29 percent; and Young, 17 percent.
In the primary for attorney general, state results included James “Buddy” Caldwell, 35 percent; and Jeff Landry, 33 percent.
In St. Landry Parish, the attorney general’s results included: Caldwell, 25 percent; and Landry, 36 percent.