Elections set for Saturday in Vermilion Parish

Voters around Vermilion Parish will head to the polls this Saturday, April 5.
Those voters will cast ballots for municipal elections in Abbeville, Erath and Kaplan. Proposition votes will also appear.
Polls will open this Saturday at 7 a.m. and remain open until 8 p.m. Registered voters will go to their designated voting precincts to cast ballots. Anyone with questions as to proper voting places, can find answers at Vermilion Parish Registrar of Voters Mike Bertrand’s Officer (898-4324).
While the election day is still a few days away, nearly 500 voters in Vermilion have already made their selections. Some turned in absentee ballots by mail, with 146 having been counted as of Monday morning. Those ballots will be accepted until Friday.
Many voters have actually already gone to the polls, with more than 340 taking advantage of early voting times. That time frame closed this past Saturday, after remaining open for a week. Bertrand said Monday morning that 346 voters came to his office to make their selections.
“We averaged about 40 a day,” Bertrand said. “We had some areas of the parish that were busier than others.”
Candidates have been busy in recent weeks leading up to Saturday’s big day. Elections are set in Abbeville, Erath and Kaplan.
Voters in Abbeville’s District D will see Kamesha Scott and Marilyn Mitchell both going for the seat against current Councilman Wayne Landry.
Erath residents will vote for a new mayor and alderman. Facing off in the mayoral race are John Earl LeBlanc, currently an alderman, and Tony Richard. Up for the alderman seat will be Chris P. Hebert and Alvin Benoit.
Kaplan voters will see two names for mayor when they go to the polls. Incumbent Mayor Kirk Champagne is seeking another term against Gerard “Jerry” Touchet. Those same voters will also choose between Dirk Gary and Ronald J. Schexnaider for Councilman-at-Large.
There will also be proposition votes appearing on the April 5 ballot. Among the items will be a Parish-wide Library Tax renewal and a Parish-wide road maintenance renewal. Those would be to renew the items for another 10 years. A similar 10-year scenario will appear for property tax renewal requests for Road Districts 1, 4A, 6 and Road District Sub 1 of 2.
To cast a ballot Saturday, voters will have to bring with them a pictured identification card that includes a signature, such as a driver’s license. Also, any voter who has a disability that requires assistance, can bring a doctor’s note or disability card and a representative at the polling place will provide the proper help needed.