The Lincoln Parish Registrar of Voters Office will take voter education into the community next week, making stops at schools, senior care facilities and other locations as part of National Voter Education Week.
The local observance runs Sept. 21-25, with an additional outreach event scheduled Sept. 26 at the Lincoln Parish Park Festival. The Registrar of Voters Office has scheduled stops at 10 locations throughout the parish during the week.
Lincoln Parish Registrar of Voters Sharon Parnell said the annual observance provides an opportunity to take information and services directly to residents.
“National Voter Education Week is an annual event that allows parish registrars to provide voters with information about voting, answer questions and offer voting services outside of the registrar’s office,” Parnell said. “It is a reminder to the public to register to vote and participate in elections.”
Staff members will provide voting machine demonstrations that allow residents to cast mock ballots and become familiar with the voting process. Louisiana voter registration applications will also be available and may be completed on site.
The outreach will also include information about early voting and Election Day, materials from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office and pocket cards for the GeauxVote mobile app.
Senior citizens will be able to complete enrollment forms for the Senior Citizen Absentee by Mail Program. Nursing home residents can register to vote, update their voter registration or enroll in the Nursing Home Program.
Three of the week’s stops will be at Cedar Creek, Choudrant and Ruston high schools. Cedar Creek and the Lincoln Parish Library are scheduled for Monday, followed by Choudrant and Ruston high schools Tuesday.
Parnell said allowing students to use a voting machine and cast a mock ballot can help remove some of the uncertainty surrounding voting for the first time.
“Voting a mock ballot will give students an opportunity to know what to expect if it is their first time to vote,” Parnell said. “It will help them understand the voting process and prepare them to vote.”
The outreach will also provide students with information they may not know, including eligibility requirements and how to vote absentee if they move away after graduation.
Parnell said students may not realize they can register to vote at age 17 or that a person who turns 18 on Election Day is eligible to vote in that election.
“It is important for young voters to understand that voting gives them a voice in matters that affect them personally and their future,” Parnell said.
Wednesday’s schedule includes stops at Onyx Care of Ruston from 10:30-11:30 a.m., Alpine Skilled Nursing & Rehab from noon-1 p.m. and Rolling Hills Ministries Book Store from 2-4 p.m.
On Thursday, staff will be at Princeton Place of Ruston from 10-11:30 a.m. and Louisiana Delta Community College’s Ruston campus from 12:30-2:30 p.m. Friday’s stop will be at the Dubach Council on Aging from 10-11:30 a.m.
The week’s outreach will conclude Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Lincoln Parish Park Festival, where staff will be available from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
The outreach comes less than six weeks before Louisiana’s Nov. 3 election.
Parnell emphasized that the Nov. 3 election falls on a Tuesday and that early voting will be held Oct. 20-27.
Parnell said there are 10 proposed constitutional amendments on the Nov. 3 ballot. A summary of the amendments is available through the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office.
Voters can also use the GeauxVote mobile app or Louisiana’s online voter portal to review voter information, including registration status, polling locations and sample ballots.
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