Election day is almost here, and Louisiana is already breaking records.
Over half a million voters came out to vote early in this presidential election, which breaks the record set in 2012, which was a little more than 350,000.
Although voting on Nov. 8 was not an option, Sarita Misra’s desire to partake in the voting process made her eager to vote no matter what.
“I’m an American citizen. However, I was born in India, so I don’t take this lightly and I don’t take it for granted,” Misra said.
Misra is not the only person in East Baton Rouge Parish who decided to come out early.
Following the start of the early voting period in Louisiana, East Baton Rouge Parish has been breaking records every single day for the number of early voters who come in to vote.
Because of the large number of early voters, many lines at early voting sites had wait times of up to one hour, and by the fifth day of early voting, more than 10 percent of the registered voters in East Baton Rouge Parish already voted.
The registrar of voters for East Baton Rouge Parish, Steve Raborn, said the voting process is fairly simple, and will not be too different on election day.
“During early voting, we have touch screen voting machines. You come in to the office, the clerk will check your name against the registration list, we’ll sign you in, and give you a card to activate the machine, and it’s very simple,” Raborn said.
The main difference between the process of early voting and voting on election day is the type of machine that is used.
After Misra cast her vote, she wished she had known more about topics outside of the presidential election.
“Well, I would have loved personally to have followed local Louisiana politics more.”
However, she believes that no matter what it is important to vote.
“I do think your voice matters. I do believe that your vote counts, so we have an amazing community here,” Misra said. “So, I would just urge all the students, their parents, across generations. Get out and vote.”
To find out where your polling place is on election day, visit the Louisiana Secretary of State’s website at geauxvote.com.
