Saturday, November 13 is Election Day in Louisiana. Due to widespread damage from Hurricanes Laura and Delta, it is possible that your polling location has changed. To see if your polling station was temporarily relocated click here. For questions or concerns regarding the election contact the local Registrar of Voters in your city or Parish. In Calcasieu Parish, the Registrar of Voters Office is located in the Historic Calcasieu Parish Courthouse (Room #7, 2nd floor) at 1000 Ryan Street in Downtown Lake Charles.

What Is On The Ballot?

The November 13 election includes local and state races, (2) tax propositions, and (4) Constitutional Amendments. Go to the voter portal on the free mobile phone Geaux Vote App to get all Louisiana voting and election information. For quick facts about the election click here. Below is a look at what Louisiana voters will decide:

State Senator 27th Senatorial District Race

Dustin Granger - Democrat
Jacob "Jake" Shaheen - Republican
Jeremy Stine - Republican

Statewide Constitutional Amendments (see Par Guide To 2021 Constitutional Amendments for simple layman's terms)

Parlouisiana.org

CA NO. 1 (ACT 131, 2021 - HB 199) -- Authorizes streamlined electronic filing, remittance, and collection of sales and use tax
Do you support an amendment to authorize the legislature to provide for the streamlined electronic filing, electronic remittance, and the collection of sales and use taxes levied within the state by the State and Local Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Commission and to provide for the funding, duties, and responsibilities of the commission? (Adds Article VII, Section 3.1)

CA NO. 2 (ACT 134, 2021 - SB 159) -- Lowers maximum allowed rate of income tax and allows providing a deduction for federal income taxes
Do you support an amendment to lower the maximum allowable rate of individual income tax and to authorize the legislature to provide by law for a deduction for federal income taxes paid? (Amends Article VII, Section 4(A))

CA NO. 3 (ACT 132, 2021 - SB 87) -- Allows certain levee districts to levy an annual tax for certain purposes
Do you support an amendment to allow levee districts created after January 1, 2006, and before October 9, 2021, whose electors approve the amendment to levy an annual tax not to exceed five mills for the purpose of constructing and maintaining levees, levee drainage, flood protection, and hurricane flood protection? (Amends Article VI, Section 39)

CA NO. 4 (ACT 157, 2021 - HB 487) -- Increases amount of allowed reduction to certain dedicated funds when a budget deficit is projected
Do you support an amendment to increase the number of allowable deficit reductions to statutory dedications and constitutionally protected funds from five percent to ten percent? (Amends Article VII, Section 10(F)(2)(a) and (b))

Calcasieu Parish Tax Propositions

Parishwide Law Enforcement District -- 1/4% S&U Tax Renewal - Sheriff - 10 Yrs.
Shall the Calcasieu Parish Law Enforcement District be authorized to renew, levy and continue to collect a tax of one-quarter (1/4%) percent upon the sale at retail, the use, the consumption, the distribution, the storage for use or consumption, and the lease or rental, of each item or article of tangible personal property and on all sales of services, as defined by law, an estimated $16,200,000.00 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for one entire year, for a period of ten (10) years, with said renewal beginning on October 1, 2023 and expiring on September 30, 2033, and after paying reasonable and necessary costs/expenses of collecting and administering the tax, the proceeds to be utilized for the purpose of maintaining salary levels for deputies and providing future cost of living adjustments, funding drug education programs (such as D.A.R.E.) in our schools, maintaining funding levels in personnel and equipment for Narcotics, Patrol, Detective Divisions, funding operations for the Calcasieu Parish Jail and providing substance abuse and other counseling programs, and maintaining operating reserves as well as providing additional funding for the District?

Town of Iowa -- 1/2% S&U Tax Renewal - M&TC - Perp.
Shall the Town of Iowa, Louisiana (the “Town”) pursuant to Article VI, Section 29 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, and other constitutional and statutory authority, be authorized to renew levy and collection of a sales and use tax of one-half percent (1/2%) (the “Tax”), previously authorized at an election held on October 22, 2011, in perpetuity beginning July 1, 2022, upon the sale at retail, use, lease or rental, consumption and storage for use or consumption of tangible personal property and on sales of services within the Town, all as presently or hereafter defined in La. R.S. 47:301 to 47:317, inclusive, with collections from the levy of the Tax estimated to be $430,669.00 for one entire year, with the proceeds of the Tax (after paying the reasonable and necessary expenses of collecting and administering the Tax) to be dedicated and used for the following purposes: flood control maintenance and flood control improvements; economic development activities; capital improvements and maintenance to the Town Hall and Town Park situated in the Town of Iowa?

Absentee Ballot/Mail-In Voting

Your last opportunity to return your absentee ballot request form in person at your Registrar of Voter Office is TODAY, the day before the election. Track your absentee ballot on your Secretary of State website. Absentee ballots begin being counted on Election Day. For more info about absentee ballots and voting by mail in Louisiana click here.

Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?

Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.

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