Early voting begins Friday for November election

Early voting for the Nov. 5 presidential and congressional elections begins Friday at the Lincoln Parish Registrar of Voters office located on the ground floor of the Courthouse.

Voting hours are 8:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. through Oct. 29, excluding Sundays. Voters should bring a photo identification with their signature on it, such as a valid driver’s license.

“The ballot is short. It’s going to be easy to get in and get out,” Registrar of Voters Sharon Parnell said Tuesday.

Only three things are on the ballot: the presidential race, the 4th District Congressional race — Lincoln Parish becomes part of that district in January — and one state constitutional amendment.

Parnell said interest in the election appears to be high. Four years ago, 8,108 early votes were cast in person.

“I’m anticipating as many (this year),” Parnell said.

As of Tuesday morning, Parnell’s office had received 805 mail- in ballots. In 2020, almost 1,500 people voted by mail, but some of that came from exceptions granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, Parnell said she anticipates to get close to and maybe even equal the number of early votes cast four years ago.

As of Oct. 1, Lincoln Parish had 27,567 registered voters, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office. Of those, 10,480 are Republicans and 9,548 are Democrats.

From Aug. 1 through Tuesday, Lincoln Parish had added 1,106 new voters. That number could increase when tallies from the online registration, which closed at midnight Tuesday, are added in.

Presidential race

Top on ballot is the list of 11 presidential candidates. The parties are not listed in alphabetical order either by candidate or by party.

That’s because Louisiana law recognizes only five political parties: Democrat, Green, Independent, Libertarian and Republican. Those parties get the top of the ballot. The Independents didn’t field a candidate this year.

The seven non-recognized parties with candidates on the ballot are the American Solidarity Party; Constitution Party; Godliness, Truth, Justice; Justice For All; Socialism And Liberation; Socialist Workers Party; and We The People, whose presidential contender was Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Kennedy dropped out too late to have his name withdrawn in Louisiana.

When voters cast their ballots for a presidential candidate, they are not voting directly for their favored candidate.

Instead, they are directing the votes of electors to the Electoral College. Though the electors are chosen based on a state’s popular vote, it is possible for a presidential candidate to win the national popular vote and still lose the election.

That happened in 2016 when Democrat Hillary Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more votes than Republican former President Donald Trump but lost to Trump in the electoral vote.

Meantime, as early voting for the 2024 race between Trump and Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris approaches, the contest remains too close to call nationwide.

Congressional race

In the congressional race, voters will pick between two Republicans: Incumbent Mike Johnson, from Bossier Parish, and challenger Joshua Morott, from Vernon Parish.

Johnson, who’s also U.S. House speaker, is seeking his fifth term. Morott is a first-time candidate.

Lincoln Parish became part of the 4th District when the Louisiana Legislature voted for a remap plan that intentionally protected Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and 5th District Congresswoman Julia Letlow who sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee.

The 4th District covers part of Northwest Louisiana and a chunk of the southwestern part of the state.

Constitutional amendment

The lone state constitutional amendment on the November ballot seeks to have federal money Louisiana gets from alternative energy production dedicated to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund, where it can only be used for projects aimed at safeguarding the coastal area.

According to the nonpartisan Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, money in the trust fund pays for barrier island restoration, diversion projects, flood risk reduction efforts ( levees, floodgates and pump stations), marsh creation and other work aimed at safeguarding Louisiana’s residents and businesses along the coast.

A vote against the proposal would be sent the federal dollar into the trust fund; a vote against the proposal means money from alternative energy production offshore would go into the state general fund, where it can be spent on anything.