[StBernard] Voting in St. Bernard

[Westley Annis]

John,

The law may be what it is, but reality is a lot different (and it may come
bite a few people on the read end this weekend).

As long as your name is on the rolls, the poll commissioner will allow you
to vote unless, and this is the biggy, unless one of the candidates
challenges your right to vote at that precinct.

At that point, the burden shifts to the voter to prove (usually with some
type of utility bill or other piece of mail) that they do live in the house
they are trying to claim as their legal residence.

I don't really know the technicalities of how a poll commissioner makes a
final decision, actually the Clerk of Court since the poll commissioner will
usually punt to the Clerk on matters like this.


>From what I can remember during my experience as a poll watcher, there are

three possible outcomes:

1) The voter proves residency and is allowed to vote
2) The voter cannot prove residency and is not allowed to vote
3) Residency cannot be decided and the voter is allowed to make a
provisional vote.

Westley

-----Original Message-----
But Tim, what about the fact that state law says if you are receiving a
homestead exemption at a different address (in another parish), you are
legally looked upon as having legal domicile at that address and that is the
only location you can vote? 

Did the legislature since Katrina pass some sort of temporary suspension of
that law?  I ask this because I had something to do with the drafting of the
legislation/r.s. back in '97 when I worked for then State Rep. Benny
Rousselle who authored the bill.

John