ELECTIONS

There are 24 precincts in Franklin Parish, and the Absentee votes count as an additional precinct. The Board of Election Supervisors selects commissioners-in-charge, commissioners, and alternate commissioners at random from a list of persons who have been certified by the Clerk. This is done at a public meeting of the Board of Election Supervisors.

Prior to an election, the Clerk is responsible for sealing the voting machines and assuring that they are delivered to the proper precinct.

On election day, the Clerk’s office is open from 5:30 a.m. until all returns have been tabulated. In-house voting machine mechanics and personnel are available to assist voters and commissioners throughout the day.

After precincts have closed, cartridges are brought to the Clerk’s office by commissioners-in-charge and entered into the Clerk’s and Secretary of State’s computers for final results.

Post-election activities include opening voting machines, verifying voting machine totals with those turned in by commissioners-in-charge, and forwarding election results to the Board of Election Supervisors and the Louisiana Secretary of State.

At different times during the year, the Franklin Parish Clerk of Court’s Office offers a class for the citizens of Franklin Parish to enroll and qualify as an Election Commissioner.

If you would like to participate in the elections process as a Commissioner, please contact Anita Wygal, at (318)435-5133 during regular business hours. You will be notified of the date, time, and place the next certification school is scheduled.

ELECTION COMMISSIONER QUALIFICATIONS:

In accordance with the Louisiana Revised Statutes, you must have the following qualifications to
serve as a commissioner:

You must be a qualified voter who is not marked for assistance in voting in the precinct register and who does not require the use of the audio ballot in voting.
You shall not be a candidate for election to public office or a member of the immediate family of a candidate for election to public office in the precinct in which you serve.
You may be selected to serve in a precinct other than the one in which you are registered to vote.
You must not have been convicted of an election offense.
You must have attended a course of instruction for commissioners conducted by the current Clerk of Court, provided your correct party affiliation to the Clerk, and have received a Certificate of Instruction for such attendance.

A certified Commissioner is paid $200.00 per election worked.

COMMISSIONER-IN-CHARGE QUALIFICATIONS:

In accordance with the Louisiana Revised Statutes, you must have the following qualifications to serve as a Commissioner-in-Charge:

You shall be a qualified voter in the precinct in which you serve and who is not entitled to assistance in voting.
You shall not be a candidate for election to public office or a member of the immediate family of a candidate for election to public office in the precinct in which you serve.
You shall not have been convicted of an election offense.
You shall have successfully completed a general course of instruction for Commissioners and a course of instruction for Commissioner-in-Charge.
You shall have served as a commissioner in at least two elections during the last four years.

A certified Commissioner-in-Charge is paid $250.00 per election worked.

If a Commissioner-in-Charge handles more than one precinct, the pay is $350.00 per election worked.

A Custodian is paid $100.00 per election worked.