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Saturday, Oct. 14 kicks off a number of statewide and local races in Louisiana. L’OBSERVATEUR will provide live election results as votes are being counted.

Louisiana polls will open at 7 a.m. on Oct. 14. Voters will then report to their polling place and cast their votes. Anyone in line to vote before the polls close at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

All candidates running for office will appear on the ballot regardless of their party affiliation. If a candidate in the Oct. 14 election secures a simple majority (50% plus one vote), they will be declared the winner of the race rather than appearing on the ballot for the runoff election on Nov. 18.

In cases where a simple majority is not achieved, the top two candidates with the most votes, irrespective of their political affiliation, will advance to a runoff election.

Fourteen candidates are competing to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards. If no candidate receives a majority in Saturday’s election, the two candidates with the most votes will advance to the runoff election on Nov. 18.

Aside from the gubernatorial candidates, voters will also see state-level candidates for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer on their ballots tomorrow, along with Board of Elementary and Secondary Education candidates depending on the district.

On the local level, St. Tammany Parish, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. James Parish, Terrebonne Parish and Washington Parish will be voting for a new Parish President.

Six parishes will be voting for sheriff, including St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Lafourche, Plaquemines, Washington and St. John the Baptist parishes.

For more information on how to cast a vote, voters can refer to L’OBSERVATEUR’S guide to voting in Louisiana’s Oct. 14 primary.