SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – The Caddo Parish Registrar of Voters says that the issue with voter placement is “substantially complete” after a thorough review process was conducted in partnership with the Louisiana Secretary of State.
The review came after Shreveport council members contacted Caddo Parish Registrar of Voters Dale Sibley after some constituents reported that they received incorrect absentee ballots or were placed in the wrong voting precinct.
In a letter sent by Sibley on Tuesday, the issue with voter placement stemmed from a discrepancy between the maps and written information provided to the Registrars office from the city council that were used to relocate voters as the final step in the redistricting process
A letter sent from Sibley on Friday indicates that the review found additional precincts with errors bringing the number of affected Caddo precincts from 7 to 14. The affected precincts were: 5A, 45, 47, 55, 63, 68, 71, 75, 77, 84, 97, 100, 126, and 135.
According to Sibley, the updated list represents approximately 16,000 voters and 1,500 absentee ballots.
Sibley says the Registrar’s office will continue to contact voters in affected precincts who vote by mail to inform them that replacement ballots will be mailed. Additionally, if replacement ballots are not received within seven to ten days, voters should contact the Registrar’s office to have their specific issue addressed.
Completion of the movement of voters into their proper precincts means that voters who do not cast absentee votes will be listed appropriately and able to vote in the correct district. The review and adequate placement will also trigger mailing new voter registration cards that reflect the corrected precinct information.
Sibley says the redistricting process is complex and involves manually moving thousands of voters; sometimes, issues can arise.
“Because the redistricting process is a complex undertaking that in our case, involved the manual movement of thousands of voters, issues like this can arise. The systems we have in place are designed to make corrections when errors occur and protect every voter’s right. The protocols require that we identify the affected voters, confirm the necessary information, notify those affected and use the system tools to make the necessary adjustments. By doing so in this case, we can still provide the opportunity for our absentee voters and non-absentee voters to fully participate in the upcoming November 8, 2022 election.”
Dale Sibley, Caddo Parish Registrar of Voters
Any voters who have questions or are unsure about how their voting status may have been affected should contact the Registrar’s office.
