Qualifying for Nov. 6 elections begins Wednesday

While the eyes of the state and nation will be on what is called the “mid-term elections” for U.S. senator and representative, Avoyelles Parish voters have a few important local elections on the Nov. 6 ballot. Qualifying for the Nov. 6 elections is Wednesday-Friday (July 18-20) in the Clerk of Court’s Office in the courthouse in Marksville. The last day to register in person or by mail is Oct. 9. The last day to register online at geauxvote.com is Oct. 16.

CONGRESS

U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham was elected to represent the sprawling 5th District in 2014. He was re-elected in 2016.

The district has been a “safe” Republican district for many years, but Democrats are expected to mount a strong effort in their overall campaign to reduce President Donald Trump’s Republican majority in the House.

The state has a year off in choosing a U.S. senator. The nation’s 100 senators have six-year terms, with a third running every two years.

LOCAL ELECTIONS

The future of Avoyelles Parish public education is once again on the ballot as the nine-member School Board will be elected/re-elected to four-year terms.

It is expected that the decades-long desegregation suit will be dismissed and the Avoyelles Parish School System will be declared “unitary” later this summer. If that happens, the School Board seated in January 2019 will be the first in the parish’s history that did not either preside over a racially segregated school system or a desegregated one under the watchful eye of the federal court and U.S. Department of Justice.

Three of the parish’s nine municipalities will elect officials to four-year terms.

Mansura will elect its mayor and police chief. It will also elect its five aldermen in an at-large election in which the top five vote-getters are elected. Mansura is the largest municipality holding elections this fall.

The villages of Moreauville and Evergreen will also elect their officials.

Moreauville is the parish’s largest village, just under the 1,000 population threshold of becoming a town. It will elect a mayor and three aldermen at-large.

Evergreen is one of the smallest villages -- only Plaucheville is smaller. It will elect a mayor and five aldermen at-large.

Moreauville is organized under the state Lawrason Act, which calls for villages to have three aldermen. Evergreen was organized under a municipal charter which requires five aldermen.

Both villages’ police chiefs are appointed, not elected.

There will also be a special election for constable in Ward 1 to fill the unexpired term of the late John Hathorn.

There is also a statewide proposition and six proposed constitutional amendments requiring voters’ attention.

To register to vote, a person :
1) must be a U.S. citizen; at least 17 years old (16 if registering in person), but must be 18 before they can vote;
2) must be a resident of Louisiana and the parish where they seek to register;
3) not be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony;
4) not be under a judgment of full interdiction for mental in-competence or partial interdiction with suspension of voting rights.
To vote in the next scheduled election, registration must be done at least 20 days prior to an election if registering online or 30 days prior to an election if registering in person.