For most parish residents the March 23 special election is for electing a new district attorney.
The special election is necessary because District Attorney Warren Montgomery died of cancer late last year.
But in addition to the special election for district attorney, voters will also be able to cast their ballot for presidential nominees. In fact, that was the only reason for the March 23 election until Montgomery died.
In the race for district attorney, two Republicans on the ballot. They are Collin Sims, who is currently the interim district attorney, and Vincent Wynne, who lost to Montgomery in 2020. Sims served as Montgomery’s top assistant and became interim district attorney upon Montgomery’s death. Wynne is an attorney and businessman from Covington.
On the presidential nominee part of the March 23 ballot, voters might be surprised to find so many candidates seeking the Republican and Democratic nominations. For the Republicans, candidates had to file papers to get on the ballot back in December 2023, and so voters will notice that almost all of the candidates listed on the March 23 Republican ballot have since dropped out.
The only two active candidates still seeking the Republican presidential nomination are former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley. While Haley has said she will continue to fight for the nomination, some political commentators expect her to drop out before the March 23 Louisiana primary.
On the Democratic side, President Joe Biden faces a host of minor candidates and is not expected to be seriously challenged for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination.
Anyone who isn’t registered to vote has two weeks left if they want to vote in the March 23 election. The deadline to register in person is February 21. However, people can still register until March 2 online. (Details about online registration can be found at the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website.)
Early voting will take place from March 9 through March 16.
