Gardner, Louisiana Public Records

This coordination between departments ensures that coverage reaches every corner of the parish, including the area around this community, with efficient response times to incidents regardless of jurisdiction.

Louisiana residents can register to vote online through the Louisiana Secretary of State's GeauxVote portal at www.sos.la.gov/electionsandvoting, by mail using a voter registration application, or in person at the Registrar's office. To register, applicants must be U.S. Citizens, at least 17 years old (must be 18 to vote), residents of Louisiana and the parish in which they seek to register, and not currently under an order of imprisonment for a felony conviction. The deadline to register for an election is 30 days before election day, with online registration closing at midnight on the 30th day and mail registrations postmarked by that date. As an unincorporated community, Gardner does not hold municipal elections for mayor or city council since there is no incorporated city government. However, residents participate in Rapides Parish Police Jury elections, as the Police Jury is the parish governing body. The Police Jury consists of members elected from single-member districts across the parish, and voters in Gardner elect representatives from their designated district. Police Jury elections are typically held in the fall of years divisible by four, coinciding with presidential elections, with the next elections scheduled for 2028 following the recently concluded November 2024 races. Residents also vote in elections for parish-wide officials including Sheriff, Clerk of Court, Assessor, Coroner, and School Board members. To find their assigned polling place for election day, residents can use the GeauxVote polling place locator at www.sos.la.gov/electionsandvoting by entering their name, date of birth, and zip code, or by contacting the Rapides Parish Registrar of Voters at (318) 473-6660. Louisiana offers early voting for all elections, typically beginning 14 days before election day and ending seven days before, with extended hours including evenings and weekends. Early voting locations for Rapides Parish are announced prior to each election and typically include the Registrar of Voters office and additional sites in Alexandria and other parts of the parish. Louisiana does not offer traditional no-excuse absentee voting by mail. Mail-in absentee ballots are available only to voters who meet specific criteria: members of the military and their dependents, voters absent from the parish during early voting and on election day, students and their spouses living outside the parish, persons with disabilities, persons 65 years or older, ministers and their spouses assigned to duties outside the parish, or persons incarcerated but otherwise eligible. Applications for absentee ballots must be requested through the Registrar of Voters and returned by specified deadlines. For the November 3, 2026 general election, voters in the area and throughout Rapides Parish will decide several significant races. Louisiana does not have a U.S. Senate seat up for election in 2026, as Senator Bill Cassidy's term runs through 2026 (next election 2026) and Senator John Kennedy's term runs through 2028. However, Louisiana will hold elections for statewide offices including Governor (current term expires 2028, no gubernatorial election in 2026), and elections for U.S. House of Representatives (Louisiana's 5th Congressional District, which includes Rapides Parish). All Louisiana state legislative seats are up for election in 2027 (next scheduled), so 2026 will not include state House or Senate races. Local races in 2026 may include various parish offices and special district elections depending on term expirations and vacancies. Voters should check with the Rapides Parish Registrar of Voters closer to election day for a complete sample ballot. Election records in Louisiana are public records subject to the Louisiana Public Records Law. Voter registration lists are available from the Registrar of Voters for legitimate purposes, though protected from commercial use. Campaign finance reports for candidates and political committees are filed with and accessible through the Louisiana Ethics Administration at www.ethics.la.gov, where the public can search contributions and expenditures. Candidate qualifying information, including who has qualified for each office, is published by the Secretary of State and local registrars. Precinct-level election results are certified by the Registrar of Voters and published on the Secretary of State's election results website at www.sos.la.gov/electionsandvoting after each election, showing vote totals by precinct, candidate, and parish.