VIDALIA — Qualifying for Concordia Parish’s municipal elections will begin Wednesday.

Races up for grabs include Vidalia and Ferriday mayor and board of aldermen, as well as Vidalia chief of police.

To qualify for mayor, a candidate has to be an elector of the municipality who has “actually resided” in the municipality for at least the preceding year, the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office guidelines indicate.The same qualification is required for alderman, with the added provision that they have to be residents of the district or ward they will represent at the time of qualification.

Vidalia elects five aldermen but has three districts. Districts 1 and 2 both elect a single alderman, while District 3 elects three at-large representatives. Ferriday has five wards represented by a single alderman each.

The District 3 Justice of the Peace seat is also open, having been vacated by Russell Wagoner when he resigned to seek a police jury seat earlier this year.

Qualifying for seats on the parish Democratic and Republican executive committees will also happen during those dates.

The last day to qualify will be Friday.

The election will be March 5.