Voter Registration Week takes place Sept. 24-28
17th September 2018 · 0 Comments
By Fritz Esker
Contributing Writer
The Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters Office will hold its Annual Voter Registration Week from Monday, September 24, through Friday, September 28.
The theme for this year is “Voting Speaks Volumes,” designed to remind New Orleanians that voting is the best way for them to make their voices heard on civic issues. Voter registration and education events will occur in venues throughout the city. A full calendar of times and locations is available at nola.gov/registrar.
Several of the events will be held at branches of the New Orleans Public Library from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The Nora Navra Library (1902 St. Bernard Ave.) will host one on Sept. 24; the Latter Library (5120 St. Charles Ave.) will host on Sept. 25; the East New Orleans Regional Library (5641 Read Blvd.) will host on Sept. 26; the Algiers Regional Library (3014 Holiday Dr.) will host on Sept. 27; and Norman Mayer Library (3001 Gentilly Blvd.) will host on Sept. 28. The Main Library (219 Loyola Ave.) will host on Sept. 25 from noon-4 p.m.
While voter registration is an important issue, voter education is equally important. Linda Tran, outreach coordinator for the Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters, said many of the organization’s programs also focus on voter education. She said there are a number of resources available to citizens that many residents do not know about.
“Some people don’t know that early voting is available,” Tran said. “Some people don’t even know when the elections are.”
For aging voters, getting to the polls can be a challenge due to limited physical mobility or other issues. However, the elderly can vote without leaving their homes. Tran said that anyone age 65 and older can get absentee ballots for life.
Rosalind Blanco Cook, president of the League of Women Voters of New Orleans (LWVNO), also echoed the need for voter education. She said that the LWVNO sent a survey out to registered voters to find out why some registered voters do not vote. She said the most popular answer was that the voters did not feel they had enough information about the issues.
To help solve this problem, the Geaux Vote App contains helpful information like dates of upcoming elections, polling locations, sample ballots, change of address forms, and applications to request absentee ballots. These can also be found on the website GeauxVote.com, where citizens can also register to vote.
Cook said that on its website (lwvno.org), the LWVNO will post a voters guide to the upcoming elections on Sept. 20. The LWVNO, a non-partisan organization, asks candidates questions about various issues and policies and prints the candidates’ answers verbatim. They also provide biographical information on the candidates.
While the current push for registration and voter education is occurring before the midterm elections on November 6, Dr. Sandra Wilson, the Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters, said the emphasis should not only be on events like midterm and presidential elections.
“We like to state the case that every election is an important election because they affect all of us as citizens,” Wilson said. “Vote every time there is an election…It gives you an opportunity to make your voice heard.”
Cook agreed with Wilson’s sentiments and said that voting is an important activity for anyone who wants to help their community.
“People want to do something and the easiest and most beneficial way to do something is to register to vote and then actually go out and vote,” Cook said.
For the November 6 election, the last day for people to register to vote in person or via mail is October 9. The last day to register to vote online is October 16.
Early voting for the upcoming election will be available from Oct. 23-30 from 8:30 a.m-6 p.m., except on Sunday, at City Hall (1300 Perdido St.), the Algiers Courthouse (225 Morgan St.), the Chef Menteur Voting Machine Warehouse Site, (8870 Chef Menteur Hwy) and the Lake Vista Community Center (6500 Spanish Fort Blvd).
This article originally published in the September 17, 2018 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
