Special election in New Orleans conflicts with busy Carnival parade day: report

A special election to fill the vacancy in a Louisiana House district based in New Orleans is scheduled for Feb. 18 – the same day four Carnival parades take place in the city.

The race is needed to fill the seat in House District 93, which Rep. Royce Duplessis held before being elected to the Louisiana Senate. The district includes parts of the Central Business District, Uptown, Central City and the Garden District.

The election will be held while the krewes of Iris, Tucks and Endymion parade that day through and near the district. NOMTOC also rolls that day on the West Bank.

Ed Chervenak, a University of New Orleans political scientist, told WDSU-TV the overlooked conflict was probably a simple oversight from Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, who oversees elections in Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards, who approves election dates.

“It would be a logistical nightmare to get the voting machines to the various precincts, to get the poll workers there to show up, and then get the voters to show up,” Chervenak said. “You may basically be limited to where you can go because of the parades.”

Early voting for the District 93 race, the only referendum taking place in the state that day, will take place Feb. 4 through Feb. 11, excluding Sunday, Feb. 5.