Candidates must qualify for election this week

The deadline to qualify for the October 24th general election is upon us.
For prospective political candidates, qualifying must be done at the Clerk of Court’s office inside the Evangeline Parish Courthouse between the hours of 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. either on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday of this coming week. Individuals may not qualify on Monday as the office is officially closed in recognition of Labor Day, a federal holiday.
Evangeline Parish Clerk of Court Randy Deshotel wants to stress the importance of making sure to qualify during those specific hours and dates.
“Those are the only three dates that they have to qualify,” Deshotel said. “You can’t come the Monday because of the holiday and you can’t come the Friday either. If they come in at 4:32 p.m. it will be too late. The Secretary of State’s office uses their time not ours. So if you are late, then you are too late to qualify.”
Deshotel also recommends that candidates bring a picture ID, and that it wouldn’t hurt to bring along his or her’s voter registration card.
Deshotel also said that prospective candidates can call his office at (337) 363-5671 to find out how much qualifying fees will cost.
For parish voters, the ballot this fall will be a crowded one as there will be a total of 20 races on the ballot, including 13 directly affecting the parish. Those local races include sheriff, all nine spots on the police jury, clerk of court, tax assessor and coroner.
State races on the ballot will include governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, agriculture and insurance commissioners. As well as two spots in the state house of representative and one state senate seat.
Absentee voting runs from October 10-17.