The Louisiana registration clock is ticking. The question each of us faces is whether our voices will count when the future direction of our state is determined.
John Bel Edwards is ending two terms as governor. Someone — likely one of seven better-known candidates — will succeed him in January.
Though conventional wisdom is telling us who will lead the Oct. 14 primary, that’s mere speculation.
Registered Louisiana voters will actually make that choice.
They’ll also choose the state’s lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and treasurer. Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry Mike Strain won reelection automatically when no one qualified against him, and incoming Commissioner of Insurance Tim Temple won that race when his only opponent withdrew from the contest.
Strain, Temple and whoever voters choose to fill the other jobs will have a tremendous impact on our lives for the next few years. They will comprise the executive branch of Louisiana government.
Along with 105 members of the Louisiana House of Representatives and the 39 members of the Louisiana Senate, they will determine how our tax dollars are invested and spent, how we attract tourists and new businesses, how our elections are governed, how insurance companies are allowed to operate in our state and how farming is regulated.
Which of the state’s voting-eligible residents will make those electoral decisions depends first on who is registered to vote. As of Sept. 1, Louisiana has roughly 2.9 million voters. About 1.1 million are registered Democrats. Another 1 million are registered Republicans. And some 813,000 are registered as Green, Libertarian, unaffiliated with any party or as some unrecognized affiliation or party.
Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day. Secretaries of state, boards of elections, nonprofit advocacy groups and issue-focused organizations promoted voter registration because they know that’s an important part of getting you engaged and getting you to focus on candidates' political and policy views before you cast a ballot.
Though there was a big midweek voter registration push, this Saturday (Sept. 23) is the last day to register to vote in Louisiana via the Secretary of State's GeauxVote Online Registration System. That’s just a few days before early voting starts on Sept. 30. Early voting will continue through Saturday, Oct. 7.
The nonpartisan primary is Oct. 14 — all candidates for particular offices, regardless of party, run against each other in the primary. If no one gets more than 50% of the vote that day, the top two (regardless of party affiliation) advance to the Nov. 18 general election.
If you’re fussing and cussing about how horrible things are in Louisiana or constantly saying what politicians should do, make sure you’re registered to vote — and exercise your right to vote either by voting early or on Oct. 14.
If you aren’t registered, you can’t vote. If you can’t vote, you won’t count when the politicians who will make important decisions that affect our lives and livelihoods are chosen.
Not all candidates are created equal. Some have raised millions, so they can afford to buy the radio, social media and television ads you’ve likely seen. But candidates who haven't raised money for media advertising often have interesting things to say — things that might resonate with you.
Some have good track records of civic engagement or nonprofit involvement. Others lack notable records of community service.
Some have policies they’ve pursued in the public arena, and you have to decide whether you agree with their ideas. Some have policy positions you can explore on their respective websites.
But, at the end of the day, if you don't register, you can’t vote. And if you can't or don’t vote, don't complain if you don't like what politicians are doing.
