The early election period in Louisiana ended this past Tuesday and approximately 10% (307,000) of the voting population cast their ballots. Even though those numbers are the highest outside of a presidential election, the Secretary of State is still only predicting total voter turnout of between 30-35%, well below the 67% of the 2016 presidential election cycle.
CABL encourages all remaining registered voters to get to the polls next Tuesday, November 6 and make your voices heard. Voting is a right, a privilege, and a responsibility of our democracy. The best way to counter the political divisiveness many see in our country is to exercise the freedom we all share and vote for the people we want to lead us and the policies we want to see enacted.
There are several important races on the ballot: Secretary of State; all of our House congressional seats; localized school board, mayoral, and parish president races in many areas; six constitutional amendments; and a ballot item dealing with legalizing wagering on fantasy sports.
There are plenty of resources available to assist voters. Check out the Geaux Vote page at the Secretary of State’s website or download their Geaux Vote app to get your sample ballot. You can also review CABL’S recommendations for the proposed constitutional amendments.
The last few elections, outside of the presidential race, in Louisiana have seen lackluster voter turnout with only 13% of voters casting ballots in the special election for state Treasurer in 2017 and 40% during the 2015 gubernatorial/statewide elections.
Elections have consequences and the outcomes of such important elections should be determined by a majority of voters, not a small minority. CABL urges everyone to cast your vote on November 6.