Record turnout is expected across the state

Times Picayune
Robert Travis Scott
November 04, 2008

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Sunny skies and warm temperatures are expected to help boost what could be a record turnout of voters in the state and across the country as voters go to the polls today to elect a new president and members of the U.S. Senate and House, and decide local races and propositions. Polls in Louisiana will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Anyone in line before 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. To speed things at what are expected to be busy polling places, voters are encouraged to bring a photo ID and to be familiar with what could be a crowded ballot in many areas. Those without picture identification can vote by signing an affidavit attesting to their name and current address. For those without picture identification, a copy of a utility bill also is useful in establishing identity and residence. Citizens who believe they are properly registered but are not allowed to vote can request a provisional ballot that will be counted if officials later confirm they are eligible voters. Topped by the presidential race between the Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin and the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden, a record 267,000 Louisianians -- 9 percent of eligible voters -- have already voted, sparking predictions that turnout could approach the record 78.9 percent in the 1991 Edwin Edwards-David Duke gubernatorial race. A victory for McCain would mean the nation's first woman vice president, while Obama is seeking to become the first African-American president in U.S. history. It also is the first time since 1952 that neither a presidential incumbent nor sitting vice president is running for the nation's top office. The presidential ballot in Louisiana will list nine candidates and their vice presidential nominees. New Orleans area ballots will carry many other significant choices, including contests for a U.S. Senate seat, two House seats, a state public service commissioner, New Orleans district attorney, several judges and seven proposed changes to the Louisiana Constitution. Five candidates are listed for a U.S. Senate seat, including Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu and Republican challenger John Kennedy, who is the state treasurer. The ballot will include seven proposed amendments to the state Constitution, and voters in Covington and Slidell will decide on several proposed amendments to their home rule charters. Other matters facing St. Tammany voters today include a sales tax for police and firefighters' salaries in Covington, a property tax renewal for fire protection in Pearl River, a parcel fee for drainage improvements in the Estates of Northpark subdivision south of Covington, a justice of the peace runoff in the Madisonville area and constable runoffs in the Folsom and Mandeville areas. To avoid delays, election observers urge voters to become informed about the items on their ballots and determine their choices before entering the voting booth. Links to sample ballots, precinct locations and other information are available at the secretary of state's Web site, www.sos.louisiana.gov/ and at NOLA.com. More than 70 percent of the state's 2.9 million registered voters are expected to vote, according to an estimate by Secretary of State Jay Dardenne. In the 2004 presidential election, 1.9 million Louisianians voted. In St. Tammany Parish, the turnout might be as high as 75 percent, Registrar of Voters Dwayne Wall predicted. In the past few days, faxed ballots and mail-in ballots have pushed the early vote total to 283,515, an increase of 16,635 from when early voting ended last week. Those wishing to report voter fraud may call the secretary of state's toll-free hotline at 800.883.2805. U.S. Attorney Jim Letten said his office will have people on duty to take calls about voting irregularities or problems, at either 504.680.3000 or 504.421.0900. HOME