(The Center Square) — Due to the closure of the Bayou Grosse Tête drawbridge in Iberville Parish, a new polling location has been approved by lawmakers according to a plan by Secretary of State Nancy Landry.
The bridge was struck by a vessel on June 6 and could be closed for four to six months for repairs, according to the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development.
The bridge carries State Route 77 over the bayou, which is located south of Baton Rouge and voters in the now-bifurcated precinct could be required to drive more than an hour to reach a polling place.
Landry spoke with lawmakers on the Joint Governmental Affairs Committee to explain the Election Commission’s plan. Legislators must sign off on any changes to precincts close to an election.
Landry commended lawmakers for “having the foresight” to pass legislation that requires them to approve any election-related changes in the months prior to an election. She also said the plan was a “very simple plan” that allowed election officials to put a second polling location in a single precinct.
Since the bridge was closed after the deadline for officials to ask lawmakers for a split precinct, Landry said she needed legislative approval to implement the plan.
With the bridge out of commission, she said about 210 voters would have to drive more than hour to reach their polling place, which she says “which is an unacceptable distance.”
Landry said this would affect about 500 voters and requested a new polling place be put on the other side of the bayou at the Bayou Blue fire station.
The commission also said they would inform voters on both sides of the bayou with a letter which includes a card telling them when, where and how to vote.
Legislators asked a few things to ensure voter integrity. One was if a resident could vote at both polling locations. The commission said they will adjust the books at both polling locations to allow only the residents in that particular area.
Lawmakers also asked what would happen if the bridge became operable before the election. Landry said officials would just go ahead with the two polling locations so it doesn’t cause more confusion.
The emergency election plan will only be for this one location in Iberville Parish, it will only be for the November election and potential December runoff and it comes at no additional cost to taxpayers.
The bridge failure can not be used as an additional reason for a mail-in ballot.
