By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Early voting in the special election for Division A councilman-at-large in St. John the Baptist Parish begins today and will run through March 26.

Lucien J. Gauff III from LaPlace and Donnie M. Robyskie from Edgard, both Democrats, are the only candidates in the April 2 election to replace Richard “Dale” Wolfe, who left his council seat in October to become executive director of the St. John Housing Authority. The winner will finish out Wolfe’s unexpired term, which ends in January.

The Division A seat represents the entire west bank of the parish, all of Garyville and Reserve and some LaPlace neighborhoods. Those neighborhoods include the New Era and Sugar Ridge subdivisions as well as Woodland Quarters and Milesville.

According to the office of the Registrar of Voters, Division A is made up of about 14,000 registered voters, with more than 10,000 of those registered as Democrats. The voter turnout for the election is expected to be low.

Any voter who wishes to cast an early ballot can do so at the Registrar of Voters offices in Edgard, at the St. John Parish Courthouse or in LaPlace at the Percy Hebert Building. The polls are open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day except Sunday.