“Republican-Backed Constitutional Amendments Rejected by Louisiana Voters”
New Orleans (AP) – Louisiana voters decisively turned down four constitutional amendments supported by Republican Governor Jeff Landry concerning crime, courts, and finances. Each amendment was rejected by more than 60% of voters, according to initial results released by the secretary of state’s office after voting ended on Saturday evening.
Landry and his supporters had traveled extensively across the state to promote an amendment aiming to make significant alterations to the revenue and finance section of the state constitution. This bipartisan-supported amendment was introduced during a special session on tax reform in November, with promises to increase teacher salaries, control excessive spending, and eliminate special tax exemptions in the constitution.
However, critics from various political backgrounds criticized the proposed amendment for its lack of transparency. Despite the bill being over 100 pages long, it was condensed into a brief 91-word ballot question for voters. While major teachers’ unions endorsed the amendment, a coalition of liberal advocacy organizations and influential conservative religious figures opposed the changes, which would have liquidated educational trust funds and removed tax break protections for certain types of properties owned by religious institutions.
Another amendment under consideration aimed to simplify the process for lawmakers to expand the list of crimes for which juveniles could be tried as adults. Advocates for criminal justice reform rallied against what they viewed as harsh punishment that failed to address the underlying causes of youth crime.
The other proposed amendments would have empowered lawmakers to establish regional specialty courts, a move opponents argued could undermine local judicial authority.
Landry expressed disappointment with the outcome but pledged to continue advocating for “transformative changes” in Louisiana. In a statement, he remarked, “We do not view this as a setback. We understand the challenges of implementing positive changes in a state accustomed to failure.” Landry attributed the defeat to left-wing billionaire George Soros and “far-left liberals,” although Open Society Foundations, a philanthropic organization founded by Soros, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Louisiana Democratic Party labeled the result as “a clear defeat” for Landry. The party, in a statement, emphasized that voters from all political affiliations had united in rejecting the constitutional amendments, which they argued were misguided at best and an attempt to benefit the wealthy while incarcerating more children at worst. “These values do not align with the principles of Louisiana that we uphold.”
