Early voting sets record, surprising N.O. registrar (16,100 ballots cast)
by Michelle Krupa - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

With Saturday's election scheduled for the eve of the Saints first-ever Super Bowl appearance and in the midst of Mardi Gras parades, a record-breaking number of New Orleans voters decided to take care of their civic duty early and have already cast ballots in citywide races for an open mayor's office, seven City Council seats, and single assessor and sheriff's posts, among other municipal positions. When the eight-day early-voting period closed Saturday, 16,100 ballots had been cast at polling places at City Hall, the Algiers Courthouse and the voting machine warehouse in eastern New Orleans, secretary of state records show. In addition, about 500 absentee ballots had arrived by Monday by mail or fax for Saturday's election, for a total of about 16,600 votes cast so far. That compares with about 12,850 ballots cast in person during the early-voting period for the November 2008 election, which included the presidential contest between Barack Obama and John McCain. With another 4,000 absentee ballots, plus strong Election Day participation, about 149,500 total votes were cast in that election, state records show. Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters Sandra Wilson said she was shocked and thrilled that New Orleans voters set a new early-voting bar in the midst of a season filled with distractions.