Early voting for Dec. 8 elections begins Saturday

Early voting will be open at the Avoyelles Registrar of Voters Office on the 2nd Floor of the courthouse in Marksville from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday (Nov. 24) and next Monday-Saturday (Nov. 26-Dec. 1).

Voters will see a little something different than what was intended or expected when they go to vote on the parishwide tax proposition presented by the Avoyelles Police Jury.

Instead of one proposition with three parts requiring one “yes” or “no” vote on the entire package, they will have three separate propositions, each with a “yes” or “no” box. This means voters can vote “yes” or “no” for one, two or all three parts of the tax package.

Those parts are (1) renewal of a 3/4-cent sales tax for parishwide solid waste collection and disposal; (2) renewal of a 1/4-cent sales tax for parishwide road and bridge maintenance/repairs and improvements; and (3) a new 8-mill property tax to support the parishwide solid waste program.

Police Jury President Charles Jones said the three-proposition version was due to a “miscommunication” between the Police Jury and the state Bond Commission, that approved the tax proposition and submitted it to the Secretary of State’s Office to be printed on the ballot. Parish officials did not catch the error prior to the official ballots being printed and have been telling voters the whole package either passes or fails on one “up or down” vote.

There have been many in the parish -- including some police jurors -- who expressed concern that the 1-cent sales tax renewal would fail because people did not think it is fair that property owners pay more than non-property owners to support the parishwide garbage collection and disposal program.

OTHER ELECTIONS
In addition to those parishwide propositions, there is a 10-mill property tax renewal in Fire Protection District No. 2. The district includes all of Avoyelles except those areas inside Marksville city limits and Ward 1 on the north side of Red River. Hospital District 2 in the Bunkie area is also asking voters to renew its 4.9-mill property tax, which helps with the operating costs for Bunkie General Hospital.

There are two runoff elections on the ballot.

In a statewide race, Kyle Ardoin -- currently serving as interim secretary of state -- faces Gwen Collins-Greenup.

In Avoyelles School Board District 1, in the Marksville area, there is a runoff between political newcomers Marian Jacobs Gonzales and Latisha Small.

Voters in the Bunkie area will see the names of candidates Lizzie Ned and Chris Robinson on the ballot for a runoff in Avoyelles School District 6, but Ned has withdrawn from the race and Robinson has been declared the winner.