Staff Report
There were 7,549 votes cast in early voting in St. Landry Parish ahead of Saturday’s election.
There 1,143 early votes cast at poll in the Eunice Municipal Complex.
That compares to 4,092 early votes cast in the November 2015 election — an 84% increase in early voting this year.
Both elections had a governor’s race at the top of the ballot.
There were 489,654 early votes cast in the state. In 2015, there were 270,144 early votes cast in the gubernatorial election.
This Saturday the race has incumbent Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, challenged by Republican businessman Eddie Rispone.
In 2015, the governor’s race featured Edwards and then Sen. David Vitter, a Republican. Edwards won that race and a first term as governor with 56% of the state vote. In St. Landry Parish, Edwards won 63% of the vote.
There were 1,804 white voters and 2,216 black voters in St. Landry Parish in early voting.
Of the early voters, 2,792 were Democrats, 865 Republicans and 435 other.
Acadia Parish: 5,458 early votes; 4,702 white and 696 black; 2,265, Democrats 2,465 Republicans and 726 other. In 2015, there were 3,079 early voters.
Evangeline Parish: 3,819 early votes; 2,518 white and 1,265 black; 2,151 white, 1,175, black, and 493, other. In 2015, there were 2,149 early votes.
Statewide offices on the ballot include the following.
Governor: John Bel Edwards and Eddie Rispone.
Secretary of State: Kyle Ardoin and Gwen Collins-Greenup.
St. Landry Parish ballot items include the folllowing.
Assessor: Sherri Zeringue McGovern and Blair Briggs.
Parish President: W.K. “Bill” Fontenot and Ken Marks.
St. Landry Parish Council member District 6: Warren “Biscuit” Basco and “Gil” Savoy.
Also on the ballot is a one-mill, 10-year property tax renewal for operating and maintaining a jail facility in St. Landry Parish. About $646,400 is expected to be raised annually from the tax.
Eunice Gravity Drainage District 9 3.57-mill property tax renewal. About $63,900 is to be raised annually from the tax according to the ballot proposition.
Faquetaique Gravity Drainage District 10-year, 5.72-mill tax to raise $120,166 annually. According to the proposition, the proposal is for a 0.28 increase and is to be used for acquiring, constructing, maintaining and/or operating the drainage works.
In Acadia Parish, there is parishwide 2.12-mill, 10-year property tax to construct, improve and maintain the Parish Cooperative Extension Service Building and the Parish’s Multi-Purpose Building, also the Rice Arena.