Early voting for the December general election is now under way, and chances are you'll be able to get in and out of your polling place rather quickly.
Early voting polls are open from Friday through Saturday, November 30, with polls closed on Sunday. While some voters waited in long lines during early and regular voting in the November 5 presidential election, analysts say turnout for the December election will be much lower than last month's.
"From a statewide perspective, my thought is that it will be around the 10 percent range," JMC Analytics pollster John Couvillon said.
Couvillon says Baton Rouge might see turnout around 30 or 40 percent because of that city's mayor's race. However, because most of the state will see only four constitutional amendments on their ballots, Couvillon believes most voters will stay home.
"We're starting to get into the holiday season, so politics is the last thing on people's minds," Couvillon said
Another pollster, Bernie Pinsonat, agrees.
"The entire state is going to see a dramatic drop," Pinsonat said. "There's nothing controversial on the ballot. There's no energy. There's no constitutional amendment that people hate. So there's just nothing of any great consequence that's going to fuel what we call the energy needed to move the needle."
Pinsonat says voters it's easy to figure out who will be voting in the December election.
"The majority of the people are going to be over 55, but that majority is going to dramatically reduce because those people are affected by Social Security. A lot of them are on fixed incomes. They just don't care. There's nothing controversial on the ballot," Pinsonat said. "If there was a constitutional amendment that was controversial and it was raising taxes or affecting the homestead exemption, that would generate some energy."
