Early voting begins with strong turnout

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Lines formed for early voting in Eunice and Opelousas on Friday.
The Eunice poll at City Hall had a steady line of voters through the morning.
In Opelousas, a line formed at the courthouse door before the poll opened at 8 a.m.
Voter interest in the Nov. 3 election has been strong, according to Cheryl Milburn, registrar of voters. She said more than 3,000 absentee ballots have been requested. That compares to about 2,000 four years ago for the last presidential election.
Milburn said a courtroom will be used at the courthouse in Opelousas to establish social distancing for early voters.
In Eunice, the voting in is occurring in the Eunice Municipal Complex lobby.
Early voting continues through Oct. 27 and is held from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily except for Sundays.
Early voting will be held in the Eunice City Hall, 300 S. 2nd St., Eunice; and at the registrar’s office, Suite 114 in the St. Landry Parish Courthouse, 118 S. Court St., Opelousas.
Milburn stated mail voters should make sure the affidavit is signed by the voter and witnessed by someone else.
Voters may view a sample ballot at slprov.com or geauxvote.com.
Regular polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on election day.
For more information, call the Registrar of Voters Office at 337-948-0572.
Charles Jagneaux, St. Landry Parish clerk of court, cautioned absentee voters to follow the rules.
The absentee ballots must be signed by the voter and a witness.
“We always have some that are thrown out for that reason,” he said.
Jagneaux said some people have raised questions about voting security.
Jagneaux sent a letter to candidates in September to about voting issues.
The letter includes the following.
Assertions have been circulated by various individuals and groups that voter fraud is expected to be rampant in the upcoming election on November 3rd . Early voting and voting by mail in particular have been targeted as less than accurate and subject to voter fraud. I am writing to each candidate to clarify early voting and mail in voting procedures and to advise you so you will be prepared to address these concerns with your voters and supporters and to insure that each of your votes will be counted.
Assertion No. 1. Votes can be counted twice when people voting early appear at the polls on election day and vote again.
The registrar records each person’s name and address who has voted early and this is noted as having voted in the Poll Book in each precinct. Those who have voted early are not allowed to vote again.
Assertion No. 2. People who have voted by mail then go to the polls on election day and vote again.
The registrar records each person’s name and address who has voted by mail and this is noted in the poll book in each precinct. The poll books are updated on the morning of the election prior to the opening of the polls by staff members who go to the polls with “supplemental lists” of last minute mail in voters.
Assertion No. 3. Dead people voting.
Voters must show a picture ID at the polling place or sign a sworn affidavit verifying they are the voter listed in the poll book at the precinct before being allowed to vote.
More important to you are the reasons your votes by mail in ballot may not be counted.
In the last election, the Presidential Preference election 88 mail in ballots were disqualified for the following reasons:
1. Failure to sign in the “VOTER’S SIGNATURE OR MARK” box and print the voters’s name underneath on the Affidavit Flap attached to the Ballot Envelope.
2. Failure to have a witness sign in the “WITNESS SIGNATURE” box and print the name of the witness on the flap.
As you can see it is very important to inform your voters on how (to) fill in the mail in ballot affidavit since the margin of victory may well depend on this vital information....