Autumn has finally made its’ way down to South Louisiana and brought some relief from the relentless summer heat (if only for a minute). It’s a time for football games, the World Series, weekends at the hunting camp, parish fairs, political campaigns and fall elections.
This year’s Open Primary/Congressional Election is Tuesday, November 6, 2018. Early voting begins Tuesday, October 23, and ends Tuesday, October 30.
The deadline for requesting a mail ballot from the Registrar (other than military and overseas) is Friday, November 2. The deadline for the Registrar to receive your voted mail ballot (other than military and overseas) is Monday, November 5.
The Garden District is included in Ward 1 Precinct 007 of East Baton Rouge Parish. Our voting location is Dufrocq Elementary School, 330 South 19th St.
We have a fairly lengthy ballot for the November 6 election that includes; Secretary of State, U.S Representative for the 6th Congressional District, City Judge City Court ES 2A, City Constable City Court and District 5 School Board member. There are also 6 Constitutional Amendments and a vote on authorizing fantasy sports contests (Act 322 of the 2018 Louisiana Legislature).
A sample ballot for our precinct can be viewed at the following La. Secretary of State Office website:
https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/SampleBallot
Constitutional Amendments can be confusing and hard to understand making it difficult to confidently cast a vote either for or against a particular amendment. To help you better decipher the intent of the proposed amendments, the Public Affairs Research Council Of Louisiana (PAR) publishes a Guide to the Constitutional Amendments. The guide provides an independent, non-partisan review of the six proposed amendments and the fantasy sports ballot item. It is an educational tool and does not suggest how you should vote on the amendments. The amendments are broken down individually in language that is easier to understand than the legal terminology used in the proposed amendments. You can access the PAR guide at the following website:
http://parlouisiana.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/PAR-Guide-to-2018-Constitutional-Amendments.pdf
If you don’t plan on voting early (October 23 through October 30), please take the time to walk or ride down to Dufrocq Elementary on November 6 and cast your vote. Take the kiddos along for an educational experience. Free elections are a privilege that we should not take for granted. It’s not cliche- your vote really does matter.
