Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin announced Wednesday afternoon that Gov. Edwards had agreed to reschedule the fall 2021 elections in light of the devastation brought on by Hurricane Ida.
The Oct. 9 ballot is full of primaries for three legislative seats, municipal elections in New Orleans, four constitutional amendments and a number of local issues around the state.
A Nov. 13 general election had been scheduled as runoffs for those contests not decided in the primaries.
Those election dates are now shifted back a month.
Many parts of the state are still without power, some voting locations are damaged and a number of people are still displaced from their homes 10 days after Hurricane Ida roared through southeast Louisiana.
Ardoin said his office needs to find where voters had evacuated and how long they will be gone before he can determine whether an emergency plan is needed for the now postponed elections.
State Sen. Sharon Hewitt from Slidell, who serves as chair of the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee that oversees election-related issues, said she supports postponing the balloting.
