St. John the Baptist Parish residents get a head start at the ballot box this week, with early voting opening Friday, June 12, and running through Saturday, June 20, on a pair of parishwide money measures. In-person early voting runs from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at two spots: the East Bank Government Complex in LaPlace and the courthouse in Edgard. On the line is an $80 million bond issue and an in-lieu millage that parish leaders say would fund water and wastewater upgrades, road repairs and public-safety projects.
State election officials list early voting from June 12 through June 20, with polling closed on Sunday, June 14, and Friday, June 19, for the Juneteenth holiday, and daily hours set for 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., according to the Louisiana Secretary of State. The same directory identifies the LaPlace government complex and the Edgard courthouse as the designated early-voting locations in St. John the Baptist Parish, per the GeauxVote portal.
What's on the ballot
According to the parish council's official call for the special election, Proposition 1 would authorize up to $80 million in general-obligation bonds to pay for roads, bridges and the parish waterworks system. Proposition 2 would levy a 3.81-mill in-lieu tax for public safety and road lighting.
As outlined in the St. John the Baptist Parish Council meeting minutes, the bond proposition includes language stating there is "no estimated increase in the millage rate" in the first year above the 11.25 mills currently being levied. The in-lieu tax would replace an existing 3.83-mill levy with a slightly lower 3.81-mill rate. The council resolution presents the package as a way to improve quality of life across the parish while keeping the near-term tax burden steady.
How and where to vote
For early in-person voting, residents can head to the Registrar of Voters offices at the East Bank Government Complex (1811 W. Airline Hwy., LaPlace) or the Edgard Courthouse (2393 Highway 18, Edgard). Both sites are listed on the elections page of the St. John Parish Clerk of Court.
The clerk's website includes contact numbers and office hours for voters who need help with absentee ballots or other election questions, and the Secretary of State notes that polls on Election Day, June 27, will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters can also use the GeauxVote portal to pull up sample ballots and double-check their Election Day polling locations.
