This past weekend Louisiana held an election that showed the rest of the country our state has little concern for where the future takes it. In what the Associated Press reported as the lowest voter turnout in Louisiana in more than a decade, only 20 percent of the state’s registered voters turned out for an election that approved 13 amendments to the state Constitution, named Jim Donelon insurance commissioner and left a runoff pending for secretary of state between Republican Jay Dardenne and Democrat Francis Heitmeier. We acknowledge that it was poor planning to hold an election on a Saturday when football games provide stiff competition for voter attention throughout the state. But it is disappointing that during a time when the leadership of this state will determine how Louisiana revives itself after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, few people took their responsibility to enact change seriously enough to vote. But there is still a chance to have your voice heard. As noted earlier, voters were unable to definitively decide who will serve as the secretary of state next, and a runoff election will have to take place to answer the question. The race resulted in Dardenne garnering 30 percent of the vote with Heitmeier taking second with 28 percent, and the runoff election could be just as close. We ask the students of the University to take the initiative and go to the polls when the runoff election is held Nov. 7 and take advantage of the runoff as a second chance for making your opinions known. While the secretary of state election hardly receives as much attention as a gubernatorial election, the position is one that provides an invaluable service to the state and should be taken seriously. So we ask you, the campus community, to show the rest of the country that Louisiana does care about who is going to lead us out of the tragedy wrought by Katrina and Rita. Take responsibility for your state, and vote in the runoff election.
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