BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Early voting for Louisiana’s Oct. 12 election opens Saturday, with voters choosing whether to oust or keep Gov. John Bel Edwards, sifting among candidates for six other statewide jobs and determining the makeup of the state Legislature.
With several college football games falling on Election Day, candidates are encouraging people to cast their votes early. The secretary of state’s office has more information online for voters to see what’s on their personal ballots.
In any race where no candidate tops 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will face each other in a Nov. 16 runoff.
GOVERNOR’S RACE
The governor’s race tops the Louisiana ballot. Edwards, the Deep South’s only Democratic governor, is trying to win reelection to a second term and faces five opponents.
His two main challengers are both Republicans: U.S. Rep. Ralph Abraham, a third-term congressman and doctor from northeast Louisiana, and businessman Eddie Rispone, a longtime donor to conservative candidates who is largely self-financing his campaign.
Polls show Edwards well ahead of his competitors, with Abraham and Rispone trying to keep the incumbent from outright victory in the primary.
MORE STATEWIDE RACES
Six additional statewide positions are up for grabs in the primary election. Each of the races features a Republican incumbent seeking reelection: Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, Attorney General Jeff Landry, Treasurer John Schroder, Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain and Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon.
The races for lieutenant governor, attorney general and insurance commissioner are certain to be settled Oct. 12, with only two contenders in each race. Few opponents to the GOP incumbents have done much fundraising or advertising for their races.
Donelon, in office since 2006, has drawn among the steepest competition, an intraparty challenge from Tim Temple, who’s worked in the insurance industry for 20 years and put more than $1 million of his own money into the race.
Among their multiple challengers, both Ardoin and Schroder face rematches with Democratic candidates they defeated in special elections to gain their current posts. Strain has four people vying to unseat him.
Four constitutional amendments also are on the ballot. The nonpartisan Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana has released its yearly online guide to the proposals.
OTHER RACES
Voters in the New Orleans area will choose a new associate Supreme Court justice, and voters in most regions of the state will select their members of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. State House and Senate seats also are up for grabs, with many of them open because of term limits.
The secretary of state’s office said 665 elected positions are on the ballot, along with 58 local propositions.
WHERE TO VOTE
Early voting runs daily from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 5, except on Sunday, at parish registrar of voters’ offices and other locations. The secretary of state’s office has a complete list of early voting sites online or through its GeauxVote mobile app.
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