Early voting begins Saturday

By: TONY MARKS Editor Early voting for the May 16 election will begin Saturday May 2 and end on Saturday, May 9. Early voting will not be conducted on Sunday, May 3. Early voting will be conducted at the registrar’s office between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. On the ballot are races in the closed party primary election for U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative. The Louisiana Legislature implemented Closed-Party Primaries through Act 1 of the 2024 First Extraordinary Session. Act 1 outlines a process for Democrats, Republicans, and No Party voters to select a candidate to represent Louisiana’s two major political parties for certain elected offices. Unlike Louisiana’s current open primary elections (sometimes called Jungle Primaries), in a closed-party primary election, the candidates on a voter’s ballot will be limited to those of the voter’s party affiliation. No Party voters who choose to participate in the Closed-Party Primary will be able to select a party’s ballot at their polling place and must stay with that party through any necessary runoff. The eventual majority winner of a closed-party primary or primary runoff will advance to the general election to face candidates from other parties. The candidate with the greatest number of votes in the general will be declared the winner, with no majority required. This rule only applies to offices with a closed-party primary. Also on the ballot are five proposed constitutional amendments, a parishwide proposition for a library millage renewal, a Road and Drainage Sales Tax District No. 1 tax renewal, and a Town of Basile proposition to appoint the chief of police.