By: Wesley Muller | Louisiana Illuminator
Early voting begins Friday for the upcoming party runoff elections for U.S. Senate and seats on the Louisiana Public Service Commission and state school board.
Polls will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., each day through June 20 except for Sunday, June 14. After the close of early voting on June 20, the last opportunity to cast a ballot will be Election Day on June 27.
Party primary runoffs will decide the Democratic and Republican nominees for the U.S. Senate seat of Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, who was eliminated from the race in last month’s party primary elections.
In the Republican race, U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow of Baton Rouge and State Treasurer John Fleming of Minden are facing off. The Democratic contest is between Tensas Parish farmer Jamie Davis and defense contractor Gary Crockett of New Orleans.
The party runoff winners will face each other in the Nov. 3 general election.
All parishes will have the Senate race on their ballots, but only registered Republicans, Democrats and no-party voters who chose to participate in the May party primaries will be allowed to vote. Those unaffiliated voters will get the same party ballot they selected last month.
Voters in parts of Southeast Louisiana will decide other state-level races, including the Republican nominees for Public Service Commission District 1 and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1.
The Republican PSC contest is between state Rep. Stephanie Hilferty of New Orleans, and former Jefferson Parish President John Young of Metairie. The winner will advance to the Nov. 3 election for a three-person race against Democratic nominee Connie Norris of Slidell and Chris Justin, a no-party candidate from New Orleans.
The race for Public Service Commission will only appear on ballots in Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes and parts of Jefferson, Livingston, Orleans and St. Charles.
The BESE District 1 runoff is between Republicans Joseph Cao of Harvey, a former congressman, and long-time educator Ellie Schroder of Abita Springs. The district covers St. Tammany Parish and portions of Tangipahoa, Orleans and Jefferson parishes.
The chosen Republican advances to the Nov. 3 general election against Democrat Angela Hershey, a retired teacher from Madisonville who secured her nomination unopposed.
Voters in 35 parishes will have local propositions on the June 27 ballot. They include: Acadia, Allen, Ascension, Assumption, Avoyelles, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Calcasieu, Caldwell, Claiborne, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, Evangeline, Grant, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafourche, Lincoln, Livingston, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Orleans, Ouachita, Sabine, St. Bernard, St. Helena, St. John the Baptist, St. Landry, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Washington and Webster.
Five parishes will have local runoffs and propositions on the ballot: Beauregard, Jackson, Rapides, Vermilion and Winn.
For those who can’t vote in person, the last day to request an absentee ballot is June 23. They must be received by the appropriate parish registrar no later than 4:30 p.m. June 26.
For more information about the elections such as where and how to vote, visit GeauxVote.com or download the GeauxVote mobile app for Apple or Google devices.
Voters can download a sample ballot to see the exact choices that will be on their ballot at the polls.
For other issues, an elections specialist with the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office can be reached at (800) 883-2805.