Voter registration drives wrapping up
Lincoln Parish residents wishing to vote in the Nov. 8 primary and not now registered have three more opportunities to do so this week.
The parish registrar of voters’ office is wrapping up a series of voter drives around the parish with one today on the Louisiana Tech University campus and drives Wednesday and Thursday on the Grambling State University campus.
Here’s the schedule: Today: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., Louisiana Tech student center, 2111 Wisteria St. Wednesday: noon – 2 p.m. – GSU cafeteria, 100 Founder St. Thursday: 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. – also at the GSU cafeteria Registrants should bring photo ID and proof of local address.
Voters who are already registered but need to update their registration or want to sign up for the age 65-and-older mail ballot program can also do so at either of the drive locations. As of Monday, 75 new registrants had signed up during the series of remote voter drives that begin in mid-August, Registrar of Voters Sharon Parnell said.
She said 10 additional voters have enrolled in the mail ballot program.
Voters can also sign up at the registrars’ office, located on the ground floor of the Lincoln Parish Courthouse. The office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. In-person registration closes Oct. 11, while online registration ends Oct. 18.
Lincoln Parish residents will see 10 local races on the Nov. 8 primary ballot.
Five of the 12 parish school board seats are up for grabs, as is one seat on the Dubach Town Council. Choudrant and Grambling will have both mayor and council races.
The most crowded contests are in Grambling where three candidates are trying to unseat third- term Mayor Ed Jones and 11 people are vying for the city’s five council seats.
Grambling council members are elected at large. Challenging Jones are City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem Toby Bryan, Alvin Bradley and Leshaun “ Yummy” Johnson. Bryan and Bradley are Democrats; Johnson claims no party affiliation.
Of the 11 contenders for Grambling’s City Council, only two — Phyllis Miller and Cathy Holmes — are incumbents. Of the other incumbents, Bryan is running for mayor and G. Denise Dupree and Yanise Days did not seek reelection.
In Choudrant, longtime Mayor Bill Sanderson has one opponent, former law enforcement officer Brandon Milner. Both men are Republicans.
In the Lincoln Parish School Board races, four of the five contests pit incumbents against challengers. Only in District 1 is there no incumbent; Susan Wiley will not seek reelection. Willie Washington and Danielle Williams want that seat. Washington claims no party affiliation; Williams is a Democrat.
In District 3, incumbent Republican Clark Canterbury is being challenged by Paul E. Bean and Gloria Miller. Both claim no party affiliation. District 7 incumbent Hunter Smith, a Republican, is facing first- time candidate Ginny Shadoin Canterbury, also a Republican.
In District 10, longtime board member Otha Anders is being challenged by Juan Hooper. Both are Democrats.
District 12’s Debbie Abrahm, an Independent, has one opponent, Doug Perry, who claims no party affiliation. Races for U.S. Senator and 5th District congressional representative are also on the ballot. Eight proposed state constitutional amendments are also on the November ballot.
