Gueydan will choose its next mayor on Saturday, Dec. 12, and the clock is already running for anyone who still needs to register.

The race between aldermen Jason Suire and Efrem “Zim” Livingston is the only contest listed for Vermilion Parish on the Dec. 12 ballot, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s candidate list. That means only Gueydan voters have a race to decide next month.

The dates

These come from the Secretary of State’s calendar for the Dec. 12 election:

  • Thursday, Nov. 12: the deadline to register in person, by mail or at an OMV office has passed.
  • Saturday, Nov. 21: last day to register online through the state’s GeauxVote system.
  • Saturday, Nov. 28 to Saturday, Dec. 5: early voting, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, except Sunday, Nov. 29.
  • Tuesday, Dec. 8, 4:30 p.m.: deadline to request an absentee (mail) ballot, other than military and overseas voters. Requests can be made online through the state’s Voter Portal or in writing to the parish Registrar of Voters.
  • Friday, Dec. 11, 4:30 p.m.: the registrar must have your completed absentee ballot in hand by then.
  • Saturday, Dec. 12: election day. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The state’s Voter Portal, at voterportal.sos.la.gov, shows each voter’s registration status, polling place, early voting site and sample ballot.

How we got here

No candidate won a majority on Nov. 3. Suire led with 133 votes (36%), Livingston had 121 (32.8%) and Jeffrey Lamson had 115 (31.2%), according to unofficial returns. Just 18 votes separated first place from third. The Secretary of State’s results page still listed the Nov. 3 returns as unofficial on Friday morning.

The state’s qualifying records list Suire as a Republican and Livingston as a Democrat. Both qualified for the race in early August.

What’s on the town’s plate

Whoever wins will inherit the budget the current board is now writing. Gueydan has a public hearing on its amended 2026 budget and its proposed 2027 budget set for Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 5:45 p.m. at City Hall, 11 days before the runoff, with final votes planned at the 6 p.m. council meeting that follows. Both candidates sit on that board. [Read our story on the town’s budget and utility fund transfers.](/news/gueydan-budget-hearing-utility-transfers-fire-station/)

The Vermilion Times will post results from Gueydan on election night. Candidates who want to tell voters about their plans can reach the newsroom at news@thevermiliontimes.com.