Early voting begins Saturday
Early voting for the Oct. 14 primary election begins Saturday, and Registrar of Voters Sharon Parnell is preparing for a big turnout.
Parnell said she expects more than the 4,098 who cast early ballots at the last statewide election in 2019.
Early voting takes place in the registrar’s office on the ground floor of the Lincoln Parish Courthouse. Voting hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Oct. 7, except Sunday.
All voters need is a photo ID with their signature on it, Parnell said.
There will be seven voting machines and three check-in stations. That should cut wait time to a minimum, Parnell said.
“ The ballots themselves aren’t that long,” she said.
She said voters with questions about the ballot should ask them beforehand. Once the machine is voted, it’s too late.
All parish voters will vote on statewide elected officials, the 5th District member of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and Lincoln Parish coroner, as well as help decide the fate of four proposed state constitutional amendments.
Voters in the portion of state Senate District 33 that’s in Lincoln Parish will also have a senate race on their ballot.
The mostly closely watched races are those for seven Lincoln Parish Police Jury seats: Districts 1, 2, 3, 6, 9,10, and 11. Four of those races — Districts 2, 3, 6, and 9 — will be decided in the primary because there are only two candidates in each contest.
Here’s a recap of the local candidate races on the ballot:
Lincoln Parish Coroner: Dr. Holly Kidd is challenging incumbent Dr. Mike Belue, an Independent, for the job he’s held for 15 years. The contest is the first coroner’s race in 28 years. Kidd, a Democrat, is an internist at Ruston’s Green Clinic.
She said she has no complaints about how Belue’s done his job but has been eyeing her own race for coroner for some time.
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education: The race has two contenders: state Rep. Lance Harris, a Republican from Boyce in Rapides Parish, and insurance agent Toby Brazzel, a Republican from Alexandria.
The 19-parish district stretches from Evangeline Parish to Northeast Louisiana.
BESE incumbent Ashley Ellis, from Monroe, is not seeking reelection. Ellis has endorsed Harris. Harris was term limited from seeking reelection to his District 25 House seat.
State Senate District 33: Incumbent Sen. Stewart Cathey, R-Monroe, drew one opponent, Republican Monroe businessman Harvey “Ned” White. Cathey is seeking his second term.
Police Juror, District 1: Incumbent Theresa Wyatt, a Democrat, drew two challengers: Independent Will Edwards and Democrat Greg “Big Coach” Williams.
Wyatt, a 16-year-incumbent, announced her reelection bid in July, then withdrew about two weeks later, but got back in on the opening day of qualifying. She said her supporters convinced her to seek a fifth term.
Police Juror, District 2: Longtime incumbent Hazel Hunter did not seek reelection, opening the way for a new District 2 juror. Democrat Karen Ludley and Republican Tommie Woods want the job.
Hunter has endorsed Ludley. Woods is a retried Ruston Fire Department assistant chief and currently consultant for the Grambling Fire Department.
Police Juror, District 3: The District 3 race pits incumbent Richard Durrett against challenger Dan Lord. Durrett, who claims no party, is retired parish administrator in his first term as an elected juror. He’s also jury president.
Lord, a Republican, is making his first bid for elective office. He’s a former Ruston city firefighter and owner of Dan Lord Plumbing.
Police Juror, District 6: Firstterm juror Glenn Scriber drew one reelection opponent, John Cole. Both men are Republicans.
Scriber is a painting contractor and the originator of the 3-D archery range at Lincoln Parish Park.
Cole is chief banking officer at Gibsland Bankshares and has also worked as a staff accountant for a CPA firm in the tax and governmental audit departments.
Police Juror, District: 9: Newcomer Nakisha Evans, a Democrat, wants to unseat longtime incumbent Joe Henderson in the District 9 race. Henderson, no party, has been on the jury since 1992.
He owns Henderson Financial Services and is the pastor of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Arcadia. Evans is the founder and CEO of K. Renee Ministries and community advocate for children.
Police Juror, District 10: Incumbent Milton Melton has two opponents: Gary Wayne Baldwin and Morris “Mo Love” Winters. Melton is a first-term juror and the jury’s vice president; he is a Democrat.
Baldwin is also a Democrat. He volunteers with the Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana.
Winters claims no party. He helped develop a tutoring program for area youth and has volunteered for numerous community activities. He is a U.S. Army veteran.
District 11: Incumbent Sharyon Mayfield, a Democrat who’s been on the jury since 2012, drew two opponents: fellow Democrats Patsy Candler and Diane Heard Richards. Candler is a former employee of what’s now Super 1 Foods and of the Humanitarian Enterprises of Lincoln Parish.
Richards retired from Harvest Foods grocery and H&R Block. She owns and operates a professional tax business.
