Voter Registration Week continues

CROWLEY - Billie J. Meyer, Acadia Parish Registrar of Voters, joined registrars from across the state this week (Sept. 2-6) for Voter Registration Week activities aimed at registering eligible citizens to vote.
The next regularly scheduled election in Louisiana is the Gubernatorial Primary on Oct. 12.
“The first step to participating in the electoral process is registering to vote,” Meyer reminds.
Meyer said representatives of her office have and will visit area nursing homes during Voter Registration Week.
This fall, Louisianians will choose statewide leaders as well as vote for a host of local and municipal races and propositions. In Acadia Parish, in addition to the statewide races, elections will be held for clerk of court, seven of eight seats on the parish police jury, four constitutional amendments and a drainage district renewal. A number of propositions also will appear on the Nov. 16 general election ballot.
“Make sure you get registered so you can ‘geaux vote’ on election day,” Meyer stresses.
Louisiana was one of the first states in the nation to implement an easy, convenient online voter registration portal. Citizens with a valid Louisiana driver’s license or Louisiana Special ID card can register online 24 hours a day, seven days a week from the convenience of their home or office by visiting voterportal.sos.la.gov.
Residents of Louisiana can also register in person at their parish Registrar of Voter’s office; when they apply for or renew their driver’s license at any Office of Motor Vehicles; or when obtaining services at public assistance agencies and Armed Forces recruitment offices.
Citizens wishing to register by mail can download and print the application from the GeauxVote.com website or complete an application found at public libraries or through registration drives.
To register and vote in Louisiana, individuals must:
• be a U.S. citizen;
• be at least 17 years old (16 years old if registering in person at the Registrar of Voter’s Office or at the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles) to register and 18 years old prior to the next election to vote;
• not be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony or, if under such an order, not have been incarcerated pursuant to the order within the last five years and not be under an order of imprisonment related to a felony conviction for election fraud or any other election offense pursuant to La. R.S. 18:1461.2;
• not be under a judgment of full interdiction for mental incompetence or partial interdiction with suspension of voting rights;
• be a resident in the state and parish in which you seek to register and vote;
• apply at least 20 days prior to an election if registering online or 30 days prior to an election if registering in person or by mail.
The deadline to register to vote in person or by mail is Wednesday, Sept. 11. The deadline to register to vote online is Saturday, Sept. 21.