Beth Wolfe elected to Court of Appeal

UPDATE:

Judge Beth Wolfe of Tangipahoa Parish defeated Judge Richard Swartz of St. Tammany Parish on Saturday to replace Judge Will Crain on the state Court of Appeal.

Wolfe had 40,762 votes districtwide, while Swartz had 32,964 votes districtwide. However, in Wasshington Parish Swartz came out ahead, 2,281 to 1,937.

Also in the very low turnout election, there was no suprise as President Trump took 98% of the vote in Washsington Parish for the Republican Presidential nomination. On the Democratic side, former Vice President Joe Biden took 77% of the Washington Parish vote. Both Trump and Biden were already all but assured of their parties' nominations, so the Louisiana presidential primary was more for show than anything else.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

An election that was originally scheduled for April will be held this Saturday in Washington Parish and across Louisiana.

Voters will go to the polling places to nominate candidates for president and to fill an unexpired term on the state Court of Appeal.

The April election was moved back because of COVID-19. While candidates for both the Republican and Democratic presidential nominations are now all-but-final, Louisiana voters will still be able to choose names from the ballot that existed back in April. President Donald Trump will be nominated by Republicans this summer at the party’s convention, and former Vice President Joe Biden is all but certain to be nominated by Democrats at their convention this summer.

Only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican presidential primary and only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic presidential primary. However, all voters can vote in the election to fill the Court of Appeal seat of Judge Will Crain, who won election to the state Supreme Court last fall.

Crain became the first Washington Parish native to serve on the state Supreme Court. Vying to replace Crain are Judge Rick Swartz of the 22nd Judicial District in Washington and St. Tammany Parish, and Judge Beth Wolfe of the 21st Judicial District in Tangipahoa Parish.

Polling places will be open Saturday from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Voters in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Voters are advised to take all Coronavirus precautions. Hand sanitizer will be available and voters are advised (but not required) to wear facemasks. Poll workers have been instructed to regularly wipe down voting machines. Voters should bring a photo ID with them. A voter without a proper photo ID will be required to sign an affidavit before voting.