All the political ads, forums and debates will come to a screeching halt Dec. 6. 

That’s the day of the runoff elections, which will end the 2014 election cycle. Personally, I am glad to see it come to a close because, in many respects, it has been negative and nasty in some of the races from the state to the local level.

Topping off your ballot will be the runoff for the U.S. Senate between incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu and her opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy. Most political experts believe the state’s senior senator, who has served three six-year terms, will be sent packing, ending a long and storied political career. Still, some GOP gurus are cautioning not to count the chickens before they hatch. Cassidy certainly isn’t. He has been bombarding the airways with ads and campaigning at a fever pitch. It has been, unfortunately, one of the most expensive and contentious races in the country.

Turnout, of course, is always a key to victory. Landrieu’s problem is that she won all the age groups younger than age 40, but the turnout among those voters was not stellar and they represented only about one-fourth of the voters who went to the polls. Cassidy, on the other hand, won the so-called senior vote – those 50 and older, which accounted for 55 percent of the vote. While Landrieu led Cassidy in the primary 42 to 41 percent, it is unlikely she will pick up very many of the 14 percent who supported Republican Tea Party candidate Colonel Rob Maness – if they go vote.

The overall voter turnout in the state was 51.5 percent. Of white voters, who mostly favored Cassidy, 54.8 percent voted, while only 47.3 percent of black voters, who overwhelming supported Landrieu, cast ballots. And there are nearly twice as many white voters than there are black voters registered in the state.

The big ballot item locally is the Shreveport mayor’s race between teacher-businesswoman Victoria Provenza, a white Independent, and former Caddo Schools Superintendent Ollie Tyler, a black Democrat. The two emerged from a seven-candidate field to make the runoff, Tyler finishing with 44 percent and Provenza with 25 percent.

While some politicos see the match-up as a white versus black race, that will likely not be the case because Tyler did well in some predominantly white precincts in the primary. But for the sake of discussion, voting in the primary were 29,401 white voters (53.2 percent of those registered) and 30,238 black voters (43.7 percent of those registered.) Other race voters totaled 1,606 (31.7 percent of those registered.) By party affiliation, 49.7 percent (34,413) of Democrats voted, 58.7 percent (18,029) of Republicans, and 29.8 percent (8,882) of Other Party. Of 129,755 registered voters in Shreveport, 61,324 or 47.3 percent cast ballots.

The other Shreveport citywide race on the ballot is for city marshal. Incumbent Marshal Charlie Caldwell, a black Democrat, is seeking a second six-year term against challenger Jim Taliaferro, a white Republican. This race has the potential to get testy between now and Election Day because, like in the mayor’s race, outside forces are getting involved and trying to dig up negative information on Caldwell. That strategy did not work very well for Patrick Williams in the mayoral campaign. But Caldwell said no federal or state agency has ever found any wrongdoing on his or his office’s part. In the primary, Caldwell garnered 38 percent and Taliaferro 22 percent of the vote. Three other candidates got the rest.

Three Shreveport City Council races promise to be interesting. District A Councilwoman Rose Wilson McCulloch is battling to retain her seat for a second term. Her opponent is Willie Bradford. Both black Democrats, each received 35 percent of the vote in the primary with two other candidates taking the remainder of the votes. Voter turnout in the primary was 44.1 percent.

In District B, incumbent Councilman Jeff Everson, a white Democrat, is being challenged by Lynn Cawthorne, a black Democrat. In the primary, the turnout was lackluster with only 39.2 percent of the registered voters in the district going to the polls. Everson finished first with 47 percent to Cawthorne’s 42 percent. Craig Lee, a black Other Party, had 11 percent. Among all registered voters, 38 percent are white, 58 percent are black and 4 percent other races.

District E, an open seat, has James Flurry, a white Republican, in a runoff with Durwood Hendricks Jr., a black Democrat. Republican Councilman Ron Webb is term-limited after serving two terms. In the primary, Flurry had 44 percent and Hendricks 39 percent of the vote. Two other candidates captured the other 17 percent. The voter turnout was 49.9 percent. Among all registered voters, 56 percent are white, 40 percent are black, and 4 percent other races.

Also on the ballot in Caddo Parish will be school board races in District 2, District 8 and in District 11.

All of these races are important, and I hope you will take the time to vote.