The Louisiana Secretary of State's Office is expecting around 50 percent of Louisiana's registered voters to cast ballots today.
What's causing the larger-than-normal voter response?
"Well, there are a number of things," University of Louisiana political science professor Pearson Cross said, noting that the economy is at the top of the list. "Gas and diesel: people are seeing their profits going away at the pump. Affordability is a crisis. Groceries are going up."
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Cross also says an energized Democratic voters base, especially among Black voters is helping drive up voter turnout. In addition, Cross notes that swing voters are fed up with the status quo.
"Independents and people who aren't really strongly in either party camp: they're voting for change," Cross said. "There's also increased disillusionment among some voters, like young people, independents, and Hispanics. You put all that together (and) it's fueling high turnout."
Another factor, Cross says, is President Trump's and the Republican Congress's handling of the economy. That, he notes, is likely the cause of increased Democratic voter turnout.
"(Trump) has managed in a short two years to squander a lot of the goodwill he had with voters who might be swing voters," Cross said. "There's an enthusiasm gap between the parties. Democrats are much more likely to be enthused. So you're seeing turnout high in some groups and not in others. The cumulative effect is to make this a very positive election for Democrats generally."
