It's the opening act of the political season locally. When those bound for public service in an elected office make their declaration known. WWL spoke with political expert Dr. Ed Chervenak about the importance of qualifying.
"Qualifying will basically determine who we will vote for in the runoff," Chervenak says.
The big seats up for grabs in this election cycle appear to be the at-large city council positions. Candidates are on the move, making a run for an at-large seat on the city council. What does it all mean to the average voter?
"When you're term limited out of a specific office that means you have the ability to run for another office," Chervenak says. "A district seat is different from an at-large seat. That's why we're seeing people who are term limited at the district level moving up to the at-large."
An at-large council seat is deals with constituents on a citywide basis as Chervenak explains:
"The at-large takes a more kind of global, broader approach to governing because you're dealing with multiple constituencies, multiple districts so it's a bit different. Also the at-large folks act as council president and vice-president so they're given a leadership position in the council."
Dr. Chervenak says it's more than shuffling chairs, moving up to an at-large seat is a significant step in a politician's career.
"Someone would move from the district council seat to the at-large and then decide to run for mayor. Or they would decide to run for a state representative district.
Qualifying closes Friday afternoon.
The primary election is set for October 9th with the general election set for November 13th. Make your vote known; register to vote.
For more information on Qualifying and Election information, click here.
