Louisiana Working To Restore Power To Multiple Election Sites

With just one day until Election Day, thousands of Louisiana residents are still without power following Hurricane Zeta. As of Monday, 68 of the state's 435 polling sites do not have power, said Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin.

Ardoin said his office is working with utility companies to restore power to the sites but promised to provide generators if they could not get the power restored by Tuesday. Three sites in New Orleans are still without power: Mt. Kingdom Missionary Baptist Church, Blessed Seelos Parish Hall, and St. David Catholic Church Parish Hall.

On Sunday, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Ardoin's office, along with the Governor's office and Homeland Security, are working to provide generators and lighting at two of the locations. The third generator will be provided by Entergy New Orleans. Cantrell, however, accused Ardoin of not providing support for the generators.

"The Louisiana Secretary of State has an urgent responsibility to ensure that every voter has the opportunity to make their voice heard this Tuesday," said Mayor Cantrell. "As our people continue to recover from the impact of a devastating hurricane that claimed lives and disrupted power for thousands, Kyle Ardoin's office is only increasing our burden."

Ardoin's office issued a response to Cantrell's accusations.

"A Herculean effort to assess and restore all election infrastructure has been underway since the rain stopped falling and the wind stopped blowing, but Cantrell and Moreno have contributed nothing to that response effort," his office said in a statement. "My office has worked closely with all levels of state and local government and the private sector. Our partners have been nothing short of heroic in their efforts to restore power and help deliver the vote to Louisianans."

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. until 8 p.m.

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