Registration deadlines near for Nov. 13 election

St. Mary Parish residents have until Wednesday to register to vote in time for the Nov. 13 election, according to the Registrar of Voters Office.

The deadline to register using the GeauxVote app is Oct. 23.

Early voting will be Oct. 30-Nov. 6, excluding Sunday, Oct. 31. You may vote 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. on early voting days on the third floor of the St. Mary Parish Courthouse or at the Registrar's Office at 301 Third St., Morgan City. You may vote in either location regardless of where in the parish you live.

If you have questions, call the Registrar of Voters Office at 337-828-4100, extension 360.

The ballot will include local propositions and four proposed amendments to the Louisiana Constitution.

The amendments would:

--Centralize Louisiana sales tax collections, which are currently collected parish by parish.

--Lower the state income tax rate for the top bracket from 6% to 4.75%.

--Give taxing authority to newly formed levee districts. The amendment would not apply to the St. Mary Parish Levee District.

--Allow the Legislature to divert more money from dedicated funding sources to other spending in order to balance the budget. Currently, the Legislature can move up to 5% of dedicated revenue to other purposes. The amendment would raise the cap to 10%.

The St. Mary Parish School Board is seeking renewal of an 11.82-mill property tax.

The tax adds $29.95 to the annual tax payment on a $100,000 home that qualifies for the homestead exemption, and $147.75 for a $200,000 home.