Candidates to speak at forum in Jeanerette

As early voting for the Oct. 12 election draws to a close, the number of residents taking advantage of the early voting option continued to grow Thursday.

Iberia Parish Registrar of Voters Kristie Blanchard said 802 voters showed up in person to vote Thursday, with another 43 votes received by mail. That brings the total number of votes for the period to 4,623, with 584 of those by mail.

“We’re seeing a lot of first-time voters,” Blanchard said. “Not an extreme amount, but a lot of interest.”

At this point in the early voting process in 2015, Iberia Parish had seen just under 3,000 voters — 2,922, to be exact — cast their ballots. This year’s tally so far is up 1,771 voters, or 60 percent higher than the last gubernatorial early voting period.

Blanchard attributed that uptick to an interest in the local races, specifically the contest to replace outgoing Sheriff Louis Ackal and several highly contested Iberia Parish Council races.

In St. Mary Parish, the voter turnout is also up. As of Thursday, 3,019 voters had cast their ballots at the St. Mary Parish Registrar of Voters offices in Franklin and Morgan City or by mail. That compares to 2,172 in 2015, a 40 percent increase in turnout.

If those trends hold, Iberia Parish could be looking at a 72 percent turnout for this year’s contest, well above the 45 percent of residents who voted in 2015. Although voter activity has been active, Blanchard cautioned that that some of those voters are merely moving their voting time forward to take advantage of the convenience of the early voting period.

If the current turnout continues In St. Mary Parish, the parish would see a 57 percent turnout for the election, up from 41 percent in 2015.

Early voting will continue today and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Those who vote early will be asked to identify themselves with either a photo ID or signature on a voter affidavit. Voters can use a driver’s license, a Louisiana special ID, LA Wallet digital driver’s license, or some other generally recognized picture ID that has your name and signature.

The gubernatorial primary election will be held on Oct. 12. All polling places will be open on that day from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.

NOTE: A story in Thursday’s Daily Iberian on early voting used incorrect data from the 2015 early voting period. The 2015 numbers have been corrected for today’s story.

Early voting numbers have increased in this year’s election compared to the same timespan in 2015’s elections. Here are some numbers for the Oct. 12 ballot.

4,623 votes cast in Iberia Parish through Thursday.

2,922 votes cast in Iberia Parish to this point in 2015.

60 percent increase in early voting in Iberia Parish from 2015 to 2019.

3,019 votes cast in St. Mary Parish through Thursday.

2,172 votes cast in St. Mary Parish to this point in 2015.

40 percent increase in early voting in St. Mary Parish from 2015 to 2019.