Louisiana’s early voting turnout numbers are in, and while in-person voting set a new record, total early voting participation has decreased compared to the previous presidential election.
This year, over 960,000 Louisianans cast their ballots early, marking a drop of around 26,000 votes from 2020’s early voting numbers. Several factors contribute to this decline, including overall lower voter turnout and more restrictive mail-in ballot policies. John Couvillon of JMC Analytics noted a significant reduction in the participation rate of Black voters.
“Black turnout was quite mediocre statewide, and especially in East Baton Rouge Parish. So at this point in time, four years ago, 30% of the early-voting electorate was Black. It was 25% as of last night,” said Couvillon. “That doesn’t really matter in Louisiana per se, except perhaps in the Mayor-President’s race.”
