Voter Registration Over, Offices Look Over Numbers
By: Alanna Quillen
Updated: October 10, 2012
OUACHITA PARISH -- Voter registration ended at midnight October 9.
And with Election Day less than a month away, offices are now going over the numbers of those registered.
Statewide, voter registration is down -- but in Ouachita parish, the preliminary numbers indicate 2,000 to 3,000 more people registered this year than in 2008.
The report courtesy of the Ouachita Parish Registrar of Voters also show a decrease in Democratic voters, and an increase in Republican and other parties.
Christa Medaries with the parish registrar say that may be due to increased access to internet and other media, as well as the three district district council seats up for grabs in Monroe.
Medaries says she's expecting a good voter turnout this year.
"I expect it to be high," she said. "We had over 12,000 vote in 2008 during early voting, so I expect it'll be that or more this time."
Offices this year are even using new methods of technology for Louisiana registration information, like an app for smart phones called "Geauxvote."
"Our computers went down for two hours yesterday and when people would call, I was using it to see if they were registered," Medaries said.
Louisiana Secretary of State,Tom Schedler, told NBC 10 over the phone voter registration statewide is down 22,000 voters since 2008.
"Attribute a lot of that to the storms in southern louisiana where we have a decreasing population in some areas," he said. "Because of that, registered voters is higher in 2008 than now."
He adds hurricanes causing some voters to move away, was met with stagnant population growth.
However, he also feels good about voter turnout this year.
"We're expecting somewhere in the range of 65 to 70 percent of our voting population to vote," Schedler said.
67 percent of voters voted in 2008. Schedler credits that high percentage to the historic significance of electing the first African American president. This election is a also historic follow-up.
"It was an historic event in the us obviously, and certainly this follow up is of historic proportions, also," he said. "Couple that with emotion of voters because of the economy, issues in the world today -- I think it's an engaged voting population."
Early voting will start October 23 and run through October 30. Officials say come with ID's in hand and be prepared for long lines up to an hour long.
And with Election Day less than a month away, offices are now going over the numbers of those registered.
Statewide, voter registration is down -- but in Ouachita parish, the preliminary numbers indicate 2,000 to 3,000 more people registered this year than in 2008.
The report courtesy of the Ouachita Parish Registrar of Voters also show a decrease in Democratic voters, and an increase in Republican and other parties.
Christa Medaries with the parish registrar say that may be due to increased access to internet and other media, as well as the three district district council seats up for grabs in Monroe.
Medaries says she's expecting a good voter turnout this year.
"I expect it to be high," she said. "We had over 12,000 vote in 2008 during early voting, so I expect it'll be that or more this time."
Offices this year are even using new methods of technology for Louisiana registration information, like an app for smart phones called "Geauxvote."
"Our computers went down for two hours yesterday and when people would call, I was using it to see if they were registered," Medaries said.
Louisiana Secretary of State,Tom Schedler, told NBC 10 over the phone voter registration statewide is down 22,000 voters since 2008.
"Attribute a lot of that to the storms in southern louisiana where we have a decreasing population in some areas," he said. "Because of that, registered voters is higher in 2008 than now."
He adds hurricanes causing some voters to move away, was met with stagnant population growth.
However, he also feels good about voter turnout this year.
"We're expecting somewhere in the range of 65 to 70 percent of our voting population to vote," Schedler said.
67 percent of voters voted in 2008. Schedler credits that high percentage to the historic significance of electing the first African American president. This election is a also historic follow-up.
"It was an historic event in the us obviously, and certainly this follow up is of historic proportions, also," he said. "Couple that with emotion of voters because of the economy, issues in the world today -- I think it's an engaged voting population."
Early voting will start October 23 and run through October 30. Officials say come with ID's in hand and be prepared for long lines up to an hour long.
