Early voting, which ends Saturday, and absentee participation, which will run a bit longer, are underway for Louisiana’s gubernatorial primary election cycle.

Enthusiasm for the ballot ebbs and flows depending on the region of the state. Joel Watson, the deputy secretary of state for outreach, said the top performing parishes, through the first two days of early voting, which commended Saturday, were:

1.) East Baton Rouge: 11,753 voters

2.) Jefferson: 8,696 voters

3.) St. Tammany: 8,309 voters

4.) Orleans: 5,857 voters

5.) Lafayette: 5,568 voters

Dr. Edward Chervenak, director of the Survey Research Center at the University of New Orleans, noted similar engagement on day one of early voting as compared to the cycle hosting the last race for governor.

The first day of early voting on Saturday saw 81,538 ballots cast. That’s 4,479 more than were cast on the first day of early voting four years ago.

"There were 8,290 more registered voters in the state compared to four years ago, so the rate of early voter turnout for the first day in 2023 was really no different from the first day in 2019," Chervenak said.

John Couvillon of JMC Analytics and Polling said Monday, the second day of early voting, included a "turn to the right." 

In total, 118,194 people voted early, Couvillon reported. That vote was 72 percent/25.5 percent White/Black and 43.5 percent/42 percent Republican/Democrat. 
In the 2019 primary, Couvillon said day two numbers had 122,148 people voting early. That 2019 vote was 73 percent/24 percent White/Black and 44 percent/42 percent Republican/Democrat.

Source: LA Politics