Jefferson Parish opens two new polling locations Saturday as early voting period begins

METAIRIE, La. (WVUE) - The Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters on Saturday (Sept. 30) introduced two new temporary polling sites to add to five others as early voting began for the Oct. 14 primary election.

Early voting now is available for Jefferson residents at the East Bank Regional Library in Metairie (4747 West Napoleon Ave.) and the Marrero Community Center (1861 Ames Blvd.).

“Early voting presents a vital opportunity for citizens to exercise their democratic right and play an integral role in shaping the future of our community,” Jefferson Parish Registrar of Voters Dennis A. DiMarco said.

As voters arrived Saturday at the East Bank location, DiMarco greeted them. He said polling convenience is becoming more important to the average voter.

“That’s what it’s all about,” he said. “It’s all about giving people the opportunity and having fair, transparent elections.”

Some residents, such as Sharon Landeche, said they didn’t know about the new location. But she found it so convenient, she decided to get her voting out of the way.

“Well, truthfully, I came to the library,” Landeche said. “I mean, I heard about the early voting. But I came to the library and I saw it and thought, ‘Well, I might as well do it here.’”

DiMarco says this election is garnering high interest, not just because there will be a new Louisiana governor chosen for the first time in eight years, but also because there are major races across the board including in his parish.

“You have a new attorney general. You have a new treasurer, a new secretary of state. A lot of major offices,” said DiMarco. “People have a lot of choices.”

In Jefferson Parish, there also are two at-large council seats and a Kenner council seat up for grabs.

DiMarco says that’s why a big turnout is expected for early voting, which is growing in popularity with each election.

“We have 61 additional people working, we have 98 voting machines across the six locations,” he said. “So again, this is a major increase from what we had the last election.”

Early voting for the Oct. 14 primary runs from Saturday through Oct. 7 (excluding Sunday) from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

Voters registered in Jefferson Parish can also cast an early vote at other locations including the Joseph S. Yenni Building (1221 Elmwood Park Blvd. in Harahan), Charles B. Odom Building (5001 West Bank Expressway in Marrero), the Kenner-Rivertown Registrar of Voters Office (408 Minor St. in Kenner) or the Jane O’Brien Chatelain West Bank Regional Library (2751 Manhattan Blvd. in Harvey).

Early voting in Grand Isle will be available Tuesday (Oct. 2) from 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. at the Grand Isle Multiplex (3101 LA Hwy. 1).

Orleans Parish still offers only four early voting sites. They are at Room 1W24 of City Hall (1300 Perdido St.), Room 105 of the Algiers Courthouse (225 Morgan St.), the Lake Vista Community Center (6500 Spanish Fort Blvd.), and at the Chef Menteur voting machine warehouse site (8870 Chef Menteur Hwy.). The locations also are open from 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. through Oct. 7, but closed on Sunday.

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