Early voting got underway Saturday in Louisiana ahead of the March 29 election. Three of the four constitutional amendments on the ballot are being challenged in court. One lawsuit claims legislators did not follow state law when passing bills to put the amendments before voters. Amendment 1 deals with specialty courts and discipline for lawyers.
Meanwhile, Amendment 3 gives lawmakers more power to decide which crimes teenagers can be charged as adults. As Louisiana Public Radio reports, Emily Ratner is a lawyer for the plaintiffs. She contends, “both of these amendments are in fact about giving the legislature sweeping power to remake our judicial system to suit their needs.” The lawsuit asks a judge to remove the amendments from ballots or stop them from taking effect if approved.
A lawsuit challenging Amendment 2 argues that the single-sentence description on the ballot fails to properly explain the full extent of the 115 page bill House Bill No. 7 / Act No. 1. If approved, the legislation would make substantial changes to state tax law, spelled out in Article VII of the Louisiana Constitution. It would install a permanent salary increase for Louisiana public school teachers. The bill would also narrow certain property tax exemptions, along liquidate education trust funds.
Early voting runs through Saturday, March 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. In Caddo Parish, the two voting locations include the registrar’s office at 525 Marshall Street in downtown Shreveport and the Shreve Memorial Library branch at 2111 W. Bert Kouns Industrial Loop. In Bossier Parish, the two locations include the registrar’s office on the second floor of the Bossier Parish Courthouse in Benton and at the Bossier Parish Library History Center at 2206 Beckett Street in Bossier City. For a listing of all early voting locations and phone numbers click here.
Lawsuits Filed Against Three of the Four Constitutional Amendments on March 29 Louisiana Election Ballot
