Early voting begins Saturday for Louisiana’s Oct. 24 election and The Associated Press reports candidates are urging supporters to cast their ballots in advance since the statewide and local races are expected to compete for attention on Election Day with college football games and hunting plans.
People seeking to vote early have a weeklong period available around the state. At the top of the ballot, Louisiana voters will be asked to choose a new governor to replace Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is term-limited and leaves office in January. Nine candidates are on the ballot, though only four have conducted significant fundraising and are considered major contenders: Republican Public Service Commissioner Scott Angelle, Republican Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne, Democratic state Rep. John Bel Edwards and Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter.
Louisiana’s open primary places all candidates, regardless of party, in an election against each other. If no one receives more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters advance to a Nov. 21 runoff.
Besides governor, six other statewide jobs are near the top of the ballot: lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, agriculture commissioner and insurance commissioner. Also on the ballot are state legislative races, competitions for the eight elected seats to the state’s top school board and local elected positions in municipalities across Louisiana.
The Secretary of State’s Office says there are more than 1,000 candidate races statewide. In addition, four constitutional amendments are proposed, and local propositions will be decided in 27 parishes. The nonpartisan Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana has a guide on the statewide constitutional amendments.
Early voting runs from Saturday through Oct. 17, at parish registrar of voters’ offices and other designated locations. Hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, but closed on Sunday. The Secretary of State’s Office has a complete list of early voting locations.Â
