Tarvald Smith
2019 - Present
2026
6
Tarvald Smith is a judge for Section 2, Division A of the Louisiana 19th Judicial District Court. Smith assumed office in 2019. Smith's current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Smith (Democratic Party) won re-election for the Section 2, Division A judge of the Louisiana 19th Judicial District Court outright in the primary on November 3, 2020, after the primary and general election were canceled.
Smith was a Democratic District 4 representative on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board in Louisiana from 2004 to 2015. He was first appointed to the board in 2004. Smith resigned from the school board when he was elected to the Baton Rouge City Court as a judge in 2015.
Biography
Smith graduated from Scotlandville Magnet High School in 1988. He earned a B.S. in economics from Southern University in 1991 and a J.D. from the Southern University Law Center in 1995. He worked as a prosecutor with the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney's office before becoming a prosecutor with the Louisiana Attorney General's office, where he specialized in Medicaid fraud and white collar crime. He also maintained his own private, civil law practice while working as a prosecutor. He continues to work in personal injury, criminal defense, family law, wills, succession law, and real estate. He is licensed to practice law in Louisiana, Texas, and the District of Columbia. Smith is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association and the Baton Rouge Bar Association.[1]
As of 2014, Smith served as a board member for Charles Lamar YMCA and the Alpha Center for Education and Leadership Development. He was an elder and member of the First Presbyterian Church of Scotlandville. His family included his wife, Allison, and his step-son.[1]
Elections
2020
See also: City elections in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2020)
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Tarvald Smith (D) won the election without appearing on the ballot.
2019
See also: Municipal elections in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana (2019)
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
Nonpartisan primary election
Special nonpartisan primary for Louisiana 19th Judicial District Court Section 2 Division A
Tarvald Smith won election outright against Beau Brock in the special primary for Louisiana 19th Judicial District Court Section 2 Division A on October 12, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tarvald Smith (D) | 52.9 | 24,328 |
| Beau Brock (R) | 47.1 | 21,622 | ||
| Total votes: 45,950 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
Nine seats on the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board were up for election in 2014. Three of the seats advanced to a general election on December 6, 2014, as no candidate earned 50 percent plus one of the primary election votes in Districts 1, 5 and 8.
Prior to this election, the school board was comprised of 11 members. However, in July 2014, the board voted to accept a redistricting plan that reduced the number of board members to nine. The 2014 election was the first election for the new district boundaries. Due to the redrawing of district boundaries, some incumbents ran in new districts and against one another. District 1 incumbent David Tatman (R) was the only incumbent to have no challengers file against him, and he was automatically elected to the District 9 seat.[2]
Mary Lynch (I), incumbent for the former District 11, ran for re-election to the District 1 seat against newcomers Mark Bellue (R) and Jennifer Andrews (D). Andrews and Bellue advanced to a general election. District 5 incumbent Evelyn Ware-Jackson (D) faced District 9 incumbent Jerry Arbour (R), as well as Patty Merrick (D) and W.T. Winfield (D). Ware-Jackson and Arbour advanced to a general election.[3]
The remaining races did not include redistricted incumbents. District 2 incumbent Vereta Lee (D) ran to retain the same seat against challenger Daniel Banguel (D). Rachel Allmon (D) also filed to run in District 2, but later withdrew from the race. Tarvald Smith (D), the District 4 incumbent, sought re-election against Robert Maxie Sr. (D). Anthony Nelson (D) challenged District 7 incumbent Barbara Freiberg (R). District 8 incumbent Connie Bernard (R) faced multiple challengers as Christopher Bailey (R), Charles "Obie" O'Brien (R) and Joan Wallyn (R) all ran to unseat her. Bernard and Bailey advanced to a general election.[3]
Eugene Weatherspoon (D) withdrew from the race in District 3 against incumbent Kenyetta Nelson-Smith (D), allowing her to be automatically re-elected. Tiffany Perkins (R) and District 10 incumbent Jill Dyason (R) both filed to run for the District 6 seat. However, a court ruling found that Perkins did not legally reside within the boundaries of District 6 and could not run for the seat. This left Dyason unopposed and automatically elected to her new seat.[3][4]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Tarvald Smith Incumbent |
60% | 6,292 | |
| Democratic | Robert Maxie Sr. | 40% | 4,190 | |
| Total Votes | 10,482 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Results," accessed November 6, 2014 | ||||
2010
Smith was re-elected without opposition to a second term in 2010.
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tarvald Smith did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Tarvald Smith did not complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 East Baton Rouge Parish School System, "Tarvald Smith, District 4," accessed October 7, 2014
- ↑ The Advocate, "EBR School Board agrees to downsize to 9 members," July 25, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Candidate Inquiry," accessed September 3, 2014
- ↑ The Advocate, "Judge rules School Board candidate not a resident of district," September 10, 2014
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana
State courts:
Louisiana Supreme Court • Louisiana Courts of Appeal • Louisiana District Courts • Louisiana City Courts • Louisiana Family Courts • Louisiana Justice of the Peace Courts • Louisiana Juvenile Courts • Louisiana Mayor’s Courts • Louisiana Municipal Courts • Louisiana Parish Courts • Louisiana Traffic Courts
State resources:
Courts in Louisiana • Louisiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Louisiana
