BATON ROUGE, LA — September 8, 2020 — Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome sent a letter to Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin Tuesday, formally requesting use of the Baton Rouge River Center for the upcoming election in order to allow for adequate social distancing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In her letter, Mayor-President Broome emphasizes the need to provide a safe environment for residents to cast their votes.

“As you are aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has completely altered our way of life. We are forced to re-think how we operate as a society under this “new reality,” Mayor Broome said in her letter. “With that in mind, I believe that an emergency election plan should take into account the seriousness of this pandemic.”

“Unfortunately, I am concerned that the plan you have submitted to date does not make this possible,” she continued. “Residents, many considered to be high-risk for infection of COVID-19, would be forced to risk their health to cast their vote in this pivotal election. To that end, I am asking for your support and approval to use the Baton Rouge River Center as an additional polling location for East Baton Rouge Parish. Doing so will allow for adequate social distancing that may not be available at other locations.”

As of today, East Baton Rouge Parish has had 14,253 cases of COVID-19; 25 patients are currently on ventilators; and there are 109 hospitalizations in LDH Region 2.