What’s on the ballot for Louisiana voters for the Nov. 6 election?
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Louisiana voters this midterm election will determine the fate of six constitutional amendments, numerous congressional candidates and whether to legalize fantasy sports gambling.
Each amendment requires a majority vote to pass, with the exception of the sports gambling measure. With this measure, residents of each parish will decide if the rules should be changed in their parish to allow cash prizes for online fantasy sports.
The Manship School of Mass Communication will host a Midterm Elections Watch Party in the Holliday Forum of the Journalism building tonight at 6 p.m. Polls across the state close at 8 p.m.
Constitutional Amendment No. 2 has garnered national attention as it could reverse a Jim Crow-era law that allows only 10 of 12 jurors to convict a felony. If passed, this amendment would require a unanimous jury to convict felons for non-capital offenses committed on or after Jan. 1, 2019. Louisiana is one of only two states that still allow a split-jury verdict for felony cases.
Another amendment focusing on the state’s criminal justice system — Constitutional Amendment No. 1 — includes prohibiting convicted felons from seeking or being appointed to public office for five years after their sentence is served, including parole and probation. Louisiana has imposed a 15-year ban for two decades, but that rule was voided by the state Supreme Court in 2016 after the ballot language did not match what was passed in the legislature.
Also on the ballot are nine candidates vying for Secretary of State, the third-highest office in Louisiana. The duties of the secretary of state include overseeing and managing elections, registering businesses and housing historical documents.
Ex-Sec. of State Tom Schedler, who could have been up for a third term this year, resigned in May after a longtime employee filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against him in February.
The Manship School and the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs hosted a Secretary of State Candidate forum on Oct. 29 in the Holliday Forum as part of LSU President F. King Alexander’s multiple-day “Behind the Ballot” symposium.
Discussions with the candidates explored voter behavior, election integrity, college-age voting and voting rights. The forum was broadcast live on the WAFB mobile app, on WAFB’s sister station WBXH on the Manship School’s YouTube channel and later by the Baton Rouge NPR-affiliate WRKF.
Other amendments on the ballot for this election include issues regarding residential property, the Transportation Trust Fund and property tax exemptions.
Constitutional Amendment No. 3 permits the donation of the use of public equipment and personnel by a political subdivision upon request to another political subdivision for an activity or function which the requesting political subdivision is authorized to exercise.
Constitutional Amendment No. 4 would remove the authority to appropriate or dedicate monies into the Transportation Trust Fund to the State Police for traffic control purposes.
Constitutional Amendment No. 5 would extend eligibility for the following special property tax treatments to property in trust: the special assessment level for property tax valuation, the property tax exemption for property of a disabled veteran, and the property tax exemption for the surviving spouse of a person who died while performing their duties as a first responder, active duty member of the military, or law enforcement or fire protection officer.
Constitutional Amendment No. 6 would require that any reappraisal of the value of residential property by more than 50 percent, resulting in a corresponding increase in property taxes, be phased-in over the course of four years during which time no additional reappraisal can occur and that the decrease in the total ad valorem tax collected as a result of the phase-in of assessed valuation be absorbed by the taxing authority and not allocated to the other taxpayers.
Additionally, across the state, candidates are running for election and reelection to U.S. congressional positions. Some other positions may be open for different parishes, such as school board members and city constables.
Geaux Vote LSU — the University’s student-led voter engagement initiative — has registered over 2,000 students to vote since July, with 500 students registering during the program’s National Voter Registration Day event held on Sept. 25.
“We’re creating a foundation that can be used for the gubernatorial election and presidential election in the future,” said Geaux Vote LSU president Zoe Williamson.
Additionally, Williamson said nearly 750 students on Oct. 19 made a formal pledge to vote, the final day of 2018 LSU Fall Fest activities.
For more information about the amendments and candidates on the ballot, click here.
