Acadia Parish Clerk of Court
Crowley, Louisiana

Commissioner Sch.

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Commissioner Schools are held before each election.  They are designed for several reasons.  They are as follows:

  1. Lock-out information (This pertains to certain people being able to vote on certain things at a particular poll).
  2. Instructions on opening and closing of polls.
  3. Reviewing responsibilities of being a commissioner or commissioner-in-charge.
  4. Handing out of commissioner slips for that election.
  5. Providing test for commissioners and commissioners-in-charge who need to re-certify.
  6. Passing out of Sample Ballots.
  7. Guidelines for voter requirements.
  8. Open discussion on any questions.

These schools are open to the public.  If you would like to attend, you can contact either the Registrar of Voter's Office at (337)788-8841 or the Clerk of Court's Office at (337)788-8881 for dates and locations.

You may qualify as a commissioner by taking an open book written test.  To obtain an exam, you can contact the Clerk of Court for more information.

Qualifications to be a Commissioner-in-Charge are as follows:

You shall be a qualified voter in the parish in which you are to serve and is not entitled to assistance in voting.
You shall not be a candidate for election to public office nor be a member of the immediate family of a candidate for election to public office in the precinct in which you serve.
You shall not have been convicted of an election offense enumerated in Chapter 10 of this Title (Louisiana Revised Statutes Election Code), and
Except as otherwise provided in R.S. 18:433 (Louisiana Revised Statutes Election Code), you shall have successfully completed a general course of instruction for Commissioners-in-Charge and provided you correct party affiliation to the Clerk.
You shall have served as a commissioner in at least two elections during the last four years.

Powers and duties of a Commissioner-in-Charge include receiving the sealed envelope containing the keys to the voting machines from the deputy parish custodian of voting machines at least thirty minutes before the polls open on election day.  Also they shall administer the oath to the commissioners and preside over the election and printout the tabulation of votes.  They shall also deliver the keys to the voting machines, the original of the machine certificates, the original of the signed list of commissioners, and one of the original tabulation blank and compiled statement forms to the Clerk of Court.

The Commissioner-in-Charge shall not electioneer, engage in political discussions, unnecessarily delay a voter at the polls, or prepare a list of persons voting at the polling place other than the official poll lists.

Every Commissioner-in-Charge shall take the constitutional oath or affirmation.  The original oath, signed by the Commissioner-in-Charge and the officer administering the oath, shall be filed with the Parish Board of Elections Supervisors before the day of the first election during the term of office for which they have been selected to serve as Commissioner-in-Charge.

Compensation. A Commissioner-in-Charge who serves at the polling place on election day shall receive $150.

In addition to the Commissioner-in-Charge at each poll, you are allowed a certain number of commissioners to serve as well.  This number is dependant on the number of registered voters at that particular poll location.

Qualifications to be a Commissioner are as follows:

A qualified voter who is not entitled to assistance  in voting and is not a candidate in the election may be selected as a commissioner in any precinct of the ward where he/she is registered to vote, except pursuant to R.S. 18:434(B) and (D) (Louisiana Revised Statutes Election Code) in which case you may be selected as a commissioner in any precinct of the parish where you are registered to vote.
No person shall be selected as a commissioner in a precinct in which a member of your immediate family is a candidate for election to public office.
No person who has been convicted of an election offense enumerated in Chapter 1o of this Title shall serve as a commissioner.
A person shall not serve as a commissioner, except pursuant to R.S. 18:434(D) (Louisiana Revised Statutes Election Code), unless he has attended a course of instruction for commissioners, has received a certificate of instruction during the term of office of the Clerk who conducted the school, and has provided their correct party affiliation to the Clerk.  A commissioner who has received this certificate shall be classified as a certified commissioner.  A commissioner selected pursuant to R.S. 18:434(D) (Louisiana Revised Statutes Election Code), who has not been issued such a certificate, shall be classified as an uncertified commissioner.

The commissioners shall conduct primary and general elections at each polling place, shall enforce the election laws, and shall maintain order at the polling place during the election and the processing of vote tabulation at their particular poll.

A commissioner shall not electioneer, engage in political discussions, unnecessarily delay a voter at the polling place, or prepare a list of persons voting at the polling place other than the official poll lists.

On election day, before a commissioner enters upon the performance of their duties, they shall take the constitutional oath or affirmation.  The Commissioner-in-Charge shall administer the oath.

Compensation. A commissioner who serves at the polling place on election day and who has received a certificate of instruction as provided in R.S. 18:431(A) (Louisiana Revised Statutes Election Code) shall receive $5o.  A commissioner who serves at a polling place on election day and who has received a certificate of instruction as provided in R.S. 18:431(B) (Louisiana Revised Statutes Election Code) shall receive $100.  An uncertified commissioner who serves at the polling place on election day shall receive $35.