By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Early voting for the Nov. 6 election, which includes races for president and Congress along with a slew of state constitutional amendments, begins Tuesday and continues until Oct. 30 in St. John, St. James and St. Charles parishes.

A complete listing of all ballot items in the order they will appear in the voting booth can be found below.

Residents interested in casting early ballots in the region will have options on the east and west banks of all three parishes. All locations will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the early voting period with the exception of Sunday, when the offices will be closed.

In St. John Parish, residents may go to the Percy Hebert Building, 1801 W. Airline Highway in LaPlace, or the parish courthouse, 2393 River Road in Edgard.

In St. James Parish, residents may choose the parish courthouse, 5800 Louisiana Highway 44, Convent, or the courthouse annex, 2631 Louisiana Highway 20, Vacherie.

In St. Charles Parish, residents may go to the parish courthouse, 15045 River Road, Hahnville, or the Arterbury Building, 14564 River Road, New Sarpy.

Residents will need a driver’s license, a Louisiana Special ID or any other picture ID that contains a name, address and signature in order to vote. Residents without a picture ID should bring a utility bill, payroll check or government document that includes their name and address so they can sign a special affidavit to vote.

President and vice president:

• Barack Obama/Joe Biden – Democratic Party

• Jill Stein/Cheri Honkala – Green Party

• Gary Johnson/ James P. Gray – Libertarian Party

• Mitt Romney/Paul Ryan – Republican Party

• Virgil H. Goode Jr./James N. Clymer – Constitution Party

• Ross C. “Rocky” Anderson/Luis J. Rodriguez – Justice Party

• Jack Fellure/Toby Davis – Prohibition Party

• Peta Lindsay/Yari Osorio – Socialism and Liberation Party

• Jerry White/Phyllis Scherrer – Socialist Equality Party

• James Harris/ Alyson Kennedy – Socialist Workers Party

• Sheila “Samm” Tittle/Matthew Allen Turner – We The People Party

U.S. Representative District 2 (represents portions of all three River Parishes):

• Dwayne Bailey – Republican

• Gary Landrieu – Democrat

• Josue Larose – Republican

• Cedric Richmond – Democrat

• Caleb Trotter – Libertarian

U.S. Representative District 6 (represents portions of St. John and St. Charles parishes):

• William “Bill” Cassidy – Republican

• Rufus Holt Craig Jr. – Libertarian

• Richard “RPT” Torregano – No party affiliation

Constitutional Amendments:

• Amendment 1 – Prohibits monies in the Medicaid Trust Fund for the Elderly from being used or appropriated for other purposes when adjustments are made to eliminate a state deficit.

• Amendment 2 – Provides that the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental right, and any restriction of that right requires the highest standard of review by a court.

• Amendment 3 – Require legislation effecting any change to laws concerning retirement systems for public employees to be filed no later than 45 days before the start of a regular legislative session. Also require completion of public notice requirements by no later than 60 days before introduction of the bill.

• Amendment 4 – Provides for an additional homestead exemption for the spouses of deceased or 100 percent disabled service veterans.

• Amendment 5 – Provides for the forfeiture of public retirement benefits by any public servant who is convicted of a felony associated with and committed during his or her public service.

• Amendment 6 – Authorizes the granting of ad valorem tax exemption contracts by the city of New Iberia for property annexed by the city after Jan. 1, 2013.

• Amendment 7 – Allows for constitutionally-created boards and commissions to retain existing membership numbers and allows those boards to fill vacancies first from under-represented districts before going to the state at-large.

• Amendment 8 – Authorizes the granting of ad valorem tax exemption contracts by the Board of Commerce and Industry for businesses located in parishes that have chosen to participate in a program established for the granting of such contracts.

• Amendment 9 – Mandates that no law related to the creation of a special crime prevention or law enforcement district can be enacted without first publishing three separate notices on the law at least 30 days prior to introduction of the bill.

Local school district term limits (for all three parishes):

• Provides that the number of terms of office that any member of the school board may serve should be limited to three consecutive four-year terms.