Lower voter turnout projected Saturday
St. Mary Parish voter turnout is expected to be significantly lower for Saturday’s general election than the Nov. 6 primary election.
Voting hours are from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday.
The parishwide races on the ballot are runoffs for St. Mary Parish sheriff and coroner and a home rule charter amendment pertaining to the salary of parish council members.
“We don’t expect to see the turnout on Election Day that we did on Nov. 6,” Parish Registrar of Voters Jolene Holcombe said.
“It would be nice to see maybe a 40 percent turnout. But I’m thinking probably it will be closer to maybe 30, 35 if we’re lucky,” she said.
For the Nov. 6 election, 54 percent, 17,941 of 33,208 registered voters in St. Mary Parish cast ballots. In that election, 4,897 people had voted as of the end of early voting.
As of the end of early voting for Saturday’s election, 3,199 parish voters had cast their ballots for the election.
The sheriff’s runoff is between Interim Sheriff Scott Anslum and former Chitimacha Police Chief Blaise Smith.
In the primary, Anslum received 34 percent of the vote, or 5,982 votes, while Smith got 23 percent, or 4,046 votes. Morgan City Mayor Frank “Boo” Grizzaffi was a close third in the sheriff’s race, receiving 22 percent, 3,891 votes.
Anslum, who was previously the sheriff’s chief deputy, has served as interim sheriff since January when Sheriff Mark Hebert retired.
The coroner’s runoff is between Dr. Eric Melancon and Interim Coroner Dr. Lianter Albert. Melancon received 41 percent, 6,805 votes in the primary election, while Albert received 36 percent, 5,878 votes.
Albert has been interim coroner since May when Coroner Dr. F.H. “Chip” Metz retired after serving 28 years in that capacity. Albert was previously chief deputy coroner.
The parish charter amendment would set the salary of council members at $800 per month, except that at-large council members would get $1,200 per month.
Additionally, the proposed amendment reads that no ordinance changing the salary of a council member shall be adopted during the last year of a term and no such ordinance shall become effective during the term of the council adopting the ordinance.
The lone statewide runoff on the ballot is for secretary of state between Interim Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, R-Baton Rouge, and Gwen Collins-Greenup, D-Clinton.