Time to start making up our minds

Not only do we have to be prepared for hurricanes this fall, here in Louisiana we have to be prepared for elections.

Thursday was the last day to qualify for parish and state offices.

Lee left us with a somewhat soggy terrain which we needed. And there certainly could be other storms to come in the remaining three months of hurricane season.

But elections are more definite, with primaries on October 22 and runoffs on November 19. Most parish and state offices will be up for grabs.

At the state level, we will be voting for governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, commissioner of agriculture and forestry and commissioner of insurance.

In St. Charles, we will  be voting for parish president, two state senators, two members of the house of representatives, sheriff, assessor, clerk of court, coroner and nine parish councilmen.

In addition, we will be voting on five proposed constitutional amendments and for a representative on the state Board of Secondary and Elementary Education.

First of all, make sure you are registered to vote. If not, rush to the court house and take care of it.

We have a lot to learn about the candidates who want to run our state and parish governments in the coming years without much time in which to do it. So before the next storm arrives, let’s buckle down and study the candidates and amendments and start making an intelligent decision on how to vote.

That’s the way a good democracy should work.