In their early voting era: Louisiana sets up polling site to avoid Taylor Swift traffic
Louisiana's top election official is making moves to ensure there is no "bad blood" with early voting traffic jams ahead of Taylor Swift's New Orleans concerts.
Over 150,000 Swift fans are expected to descend upon the city for the upcoming "Era's Tour" stops this weekend, leading to street closures and traffic delays. The state is ensuring that early voting proceeds smoothly by setting up a temporary alternative early voting site for specific precincts in New Orleans.
Swift is scheduled to perform on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings at the Caesars Superdome, located in the main business district of New Orleans. According to StubHub, the cheapest tickets still available are selling for over $1,000 each.
Secretary of State Nancy Landry announced that a local community center in the Orleans Parish would replace the normal polling place, New Orleans City Hall, because of the expected gridlock caused by concert-goers. The state's early voting began Oct. 18 and continues through Tuesday, Oct. 29. There is no early voting on Sunday, Oct. 27.
“I'd like to thank our hardworking Elections Division staff, along with Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters, Dr. Sandra Wilson and her staff for their help in securing this site to better serve New Orleans voters," Landry said, noting the concerts as the main reason for the accommodation.
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State Attorney General Liz Murrill also warned Swifties on Wednesday about possible ticket scams and price gouging, the Shreveport Times, part of the Paste BN Network, reported. "I encourage everyone to do their homework and investigate before making a concert-related purchase this weekend."
Indiana election officials are extending early voting hours in Marion County at the Indianapolis City-County Building Nov. 1-3, when Swift performs at Lucas Oil Stadium. About a mile from the stadium, the early voting site will be open until 10 p.m., giving voters an extra 4-5 hours to cast their ballots, depending on the day.
The Shreveport Times contributed to the reporting of this story.
Victor Hagan is the Alabama Election Reporting Fellow for the Paste BN Network. He can be reached at vhagan@gannett.com or on X @TheVictorHagan. To support his work, subscribe to the Advertiser.