Early Voting a Success

For the first time in history, Central has its own Early Voting location, and Central area voters have taken full advantage of the opportunity to vote early close to home.

Early voting for the Oct. 12 election began on Saturday, Sept. 28 and will continue through Saturday, Oct. 5. After the first four days of early voting in Central, 2,122 registered voters had come to the Central Library where early voting is being held and cast their ballots.

That’s more votes that were cast at the Registrar of Voters office downtown. A total of 2,082 voted downtown in the same period.

The new Early Voting location came about because of an appropriation by the Metro Council authored by Mayor Pro-Tem Scott Wilson who expressed concerned that Central residents were not participating in early voting to the extent of residents of other areas because of the distances involved.

Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, Wilson, and Central Mayor David Barrow were among officials who inaugurated the location last week. Registrar of Voters Steve Raborn and Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and their staffs got the location up and running.

The first voter when the Early Voter location opened last Saturday was local attorney Beau Brock, who is a candidate for District Judge, Division A in the Oct. 12 election. Wilson said the Early Voting location is a step toward bringing parish services to the people of Central.