LAPLACE — After a quiet start to the election year, the race for leadership in St. John the Baptist Parish is now in full swing. Qualifying with the Louisiana Secretary of State was held Tuesday through Thursday, and the official list of candidates for the Oct. 12 election has been set.

This includes incumbents and newcomers vying for parish president, sheriff, parish council, clerk of court, assessor and coroner in St. John Parish. The October election also features the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture and forestry, commissioner of insurance, state senators, state representatives and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education representatives. The following individuals have qualified:

Parish President:

• Jaclyn Hotard (Dem.)
• Charles Julien (Dem.)
• Terry Lewis Sr. (Dem.)
• Rodney Nicholas (Dem.)
• Randy Vincent (Dem.)

Sheriff:

• Clarence Gray Jr. (Dem.)
• ‘Mike’ Tregre (Dem.)
• Juan ‘Shug’ Watkins Sr. (Dem.)

Councilman At-Large, Seat A:

• Lennix ‘Tweet’ Madere Jr. (Dem.)
• Larry Sorapuru (Dem.)

Councilman At-Large, Seat B:

• Marvin ‘Butch’ Perrilloux Jr. (Dem.)
• Larry Snyder Sr. (Dem.)
• Michael P. Wright (None)

Council District 1:

• Kurt Becnel (Dem.) [unopposed]

Council District 2:

• Julia Remondet (Dem.)
• Warren J. ‘Bosco’ Torres, Jr. (Dem.)

Council District 3:

• Tammy Houston (Dem.)
• David C. Sanders (Dem.)

Council District 4:

• Frank Alexis Jr. (Dem.)
• Tyra Duhe-Griffin (Dem.)
• Penny J. Hall (None)

Council District 5:

• Robert J. Arcuri (Rep.)
• Damon K. Davis (Dem.)
• Anastacia Taylor Francis (Dem.)
• Morgan Lee (Rep.)

Council District 6:

• Tonia Schnyder (Dem.)
• Warren Snyder Jr. (Dem.)

Council District 7:

• Thomas Malik (Dem.) [unopposed]

Clerk of Court:

• Eliana DeFrancesch (Dem.)
• Peggy Millet-Joseph (Dem.)

Assessor:

• Lucien Gauff, III (Dem.) [unopposed]

Coroner:

• Christy Montegut (Dem.) [unopposed]

Governor:

• Ralph Abraham (Rep.)
• Oscar ‘Omar’ Dantzler (Dem.)
• Patrick J. Doguet (Rep.)
• John Bel Edwards (Dem.)
• Gary Landrieu (Ind.)
• Patrick ‘Live Wire’ Landry (Rep.)
• Manuel Russell Leach (Rep.)
• ‘Vinny’ Mendoza (Dem.)
• ‘Eddie’ Rispone (Rep.)

Lieutenant Governor:

• Willie Jones (Dem.)
• William ‘Billy’ Nungesser (Rep.)
• Rao M. Uppu (Dem.)

Secretary of State:

• Kyle Ardoin (Rep.)
• ‘Gwen’ Collins-Greenup (Dem.)
• Thomas J. Kennedy, III (Rep.)
• Amanda ‘Jennings’ Smith (Rep.)

Attorney General:

• ‘Ike’ Jackson Jr. (Dem.)
• ‘Jeff’ Landry (Rep.)

Treasurer:

• Derrick Edwards (Dem.)
• Teresa Kenny (None)
• John M. Schroder (Rep.)

Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry:

• Marguerite Green (Dem.)
• ‘Charlie’ Greer (Dem.)
• Michael G. ‘Mike’ Strain (Rep.)
• Peter Williams (Dem.)
• Bradley Zaunbrecher (Rep.)

Commissioner of Insurance:

• James J. ‘Jim’ Donelon (Rep.)
• ‘Tim’ Temple (Rep.)

BESE District 2:

• Shawon Bernard (Dem.)
• Kira Orange Jones (Dem.)
• Ashonta Wyatt (Dem.)

BESE District 3:

• ‘Sandy’ LeBlanc Holloway (Rep.)
• Janice Perea (Rep.)

State Senator District 2:

• Troy E. Brown (Dem.)
• Edward ‘Ed’ Price (Dem.)

State Senator District 19:

• Gary L. Smith Jr. (Dem.) [unopposed]

State Representative District 56:

• Gregory Miller (Rep.) [unopposed]

State Representative District 57:

• Randal L. Gaines (Dem.)
• Shondrell Perrilloux (Ind.)

State Representative District 81:

• Clay Schexnayder (Rep.) [unopposed]

In-person voter registration is available at the St. John Parish Registrar of Voters Office, located inside the St. John Parish Government Building on Airline Highway in LaPlace. The deadline to register in person is Sept. 11, and the deadline to register online is Sept. 21. Please call 985-652-9797 for more information.

WIC, food stamp and Medicaid offices also offer in-person registration, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State. Applicants are required to prove age, residency and identity.

Please inform the Registrar of Voters with any changes to residential addresses to ensure you vote in the correct polling location. Ballots will differ based on address. For instance, someone who lives in Parish Council District 3 would not see the candidates for the Parish Council District 7 race on his or her ballot. Call 985-652-9569 or visit sjbparish.com to locate your district.

Polls will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on the October 12 primary. Early voting is September 28 to October 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. — except Sunday, September 29 — at the St. John Parish Government Complex in LaPlace and at the St. John Courthouse in Edgard.

Absentee mail ballots are an option for senior citizens and homebound or disabled residents. The deadline to request an absentee by mail ballot is October 8.

If no candidate receives at least 50 percent of the vote in the primary election, the two top vote getters will face off in a November 16 run-off.

Election notifications are available through the GeauxVote app on any smart phone or tablet. The app includes reminders for voting dates, times, locations and all-important sample ballots to be released two weeks prior to the election.

Please stay tuned to L’OBSERVATEUR for coverage on each local candidate, which will include qualifications and plans for office, as the October election draws closer.