Iberia Parish Clerk of Court Mike Thibodeaux said he wants voters to be aware that not all voters will be eligible to vote for everything that appears on their ballots when they go to the polls on Tuesday.

Thibodeaux used a ballot with three district judge races on it as an example.

“Some might be able to vote for one. Some may be able to vote for two,” he said. “When they look at the ballot, they’re going to see the complete ballot on there, but they won’t be able to vote for (everything) and may get confused.”

The races that voters are ineligible for will be locked out, Thibodeaux said, which means they will not have the option to vote for races that are not applicable to their registered address. Each voter station will have five commissioners that will be able to assist voters who may have questions, he said, noting it was important to ask any questions before hitting the “vote cast” button.

“When you go to the machine and you’re not able to vote for your candidate, let the commissioner know before you get out of the machine, because once you press that vote cast, there’s nothing you can do,” he said. “(Before you leave the machine,) they can explain that you’re not allowed to vote (for that race.)”

There are 14 different ballot styles, with 10 different lockout positions in Iberia Parish. Thibodeaux said he was unsure how each of the 63 precincts in the parish would be affected by the lockouts.

“Lockouts are a result of redistricting,” said Meg Casper, press secretary for the Secretary of State’s Office, which designs the ballots. “We have to have lockouts so people can’t vote in two races.

A lockout allows only voters that are registered to vote in those districts to vote in those races.”

Without lockouts, she said, polling places would require many more machines and many more different types of ballots.

“Parishes can have hundreds of different types of ballots in the larger parishes already,” Casper said. “If there’s a question or concern, voters should get their commissioners to explain why they wouldn’t be able to vote in one election or another.”