BY MARCELLE HANEMANN

The Daily News

Early voting for the Nov. 6 election closed at the end of the day Tuesday, and the total for Washington Parish was 3,958, according to Registrar of Voters Randy Strickland, who is experiencing his first election in that position.

Of the total, 2,323 cast their votes in Franklinton, and 1,635 voted in Bogalusa.

“From what I’ve been told, that’s probably a record turnout,” Strickland said. “The record was around 3,500 prior to that.”

He said it’s important to note that the voting place in Bogalusa was not open for as many days as the one in Franklinton.

“We were open from Tuesday to Tuesday, except for Sunday, here in Franklinton, but only four days in Bogalusa,” Strickland said.

He said he plans to provide equal opportunities for voters on the eastern side of the parish for the next major election.

“I’m going to get with the Secretary of State so that for the next big election, when we’re open in Franklinton, we’re open the same days in Bogalusa,” Strickland said. “If they have the same amount of time, we could probably get a few hundred more early votes.”

Since there are no major parish issues on the ballot, Strickland attributes the large turnout to the presidential race.

“It’s the president, definitely,” he said. “Most people didn’t even know we’re electing a congressman.”

See more about the election on page 5.