Louisiana voters rejected all four proposed amendments to the state constitution on Saturday.
Voter turnout was just over 21%, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State.
Here’s a breakdown of the results.
Amendment 1
“Do you support an amendment granting the Louisiana Supreme Court jurisdiction to discipline out-of-state lawyers for unethical legal practices in the state of Louisiana, and to grant the legislature the authority to establish trial courts of limited and specialized jurisdiction?
Louisiana voters rejected the amendment concerning the creation of specialty trial courts and the Louisiana Supreme Court's authority to discipline out-of-state lawyers.
The final results show 35% in favor of the measure and 65% against it. In Orleans Parish, the vote was 9% for yes and 91% for no, while East Baton Rouge Parish saw 25% for yes and 75% for no.
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI) backed the amendment, arguing it would have helped judges with relevant experience oversee complex business-related cases.
"These new courts would be authorized by a two-thirds vote of both the House and Senate, maintaining a high threshold for passage," the group said in a recommendation to voters.
But Leaders for a Better Louisiana opposed it, citing a lack of clarity.
Under the amendment, "we're giving the legislature authority to create some pretty significant and expensive additional courts without really any discussion about why it's needed," said Barry Erwin, chief policy officer for Leaders for a Better Louisiana.
Erwin thinks other judicial reforms are more pressing, such as alleviating the workload of overloaded judges.
The ACLU of Louisiana also opposed the amendment, noting that laws already exist to discipline out-of-state attorneys.
“ It's really just enabling legislators to undermine our judicial system and empowering them to create kangaroo courts that are in their own best interests,” said Sarah Whittington, an advocacy director at the ACLU of Louisiana.
Amendment 2
“Do you support an amendment to revise Article VII of the Constitution of Louisiana including revisions to lower the maximum rate of income tax, increase income tax deductions for citizens over sixty-five, provide for a government growth limit, modify operation of certain constitutional funds, provide for property tax exemptions retaining the homestead exemption and exemption for religious organizations, provide a permanent teacher salary increase by requiring a surplus payment to teacher retirement debt, and make other modifications?”
The amendment tried to change the state’s tax code and raise teacher pay. It would have been the most significant revision of Louisiana's constitution since 1974, amending Article VII and addressing multiple issues.
The changes would have included capping the income tax rate at a flat 3%, lowering the corporate income tax to 5.5%, eliminating the corporate franchise tax, and implementing a permanent teacher salary increase.
The final vote results were 35% for yes and 65% for no. In Orleans Parish, the results were 9% for yes and 91% for no. In East Baton Rouge Parish, the results were 26% for yes and 74% for no.
The Louisiana Supreme Court tossed out a lawsuit that sought to block it from getting on the ballot.
Opponents argued that the ballot language violated state law and that the amendment wouldn't raise pay for teachers, while some teacher groups and the state's Republican Party supported it.
Invest in Louisiana argued that it would reduce the state's tax revenue and "enshrine" a tax system that benefits the affluent, without enough input from voters.
"If you have this biggest constitutional rewrite in 50 years, why would you put it on an election when seven out of eight state voters aren't even expected to show up to the polls?" Jan Moller, the group’s executive director, said on Talk Louisiana Tuesday.
The loss is a political defeat for Gov. Jeff Landry, who urged voters to approve all four amendments but particularly emphasized Amendment 2, saying it would keep tax dollars in local communities and benefit senior citizens.
In a statement about the results Saturday night, Landry said he planned to continue to fight for “generational changes.”
“The primary goal of Amendment 2 was to create a better opportunity for our citizens. To work towards inviting people into our State rather than have them leave. Unfortunately, [George] Soros and far left liberals poured millions into Louisiana with propaganda and outright lies about Amendment 2,” he said.
“Although we are disappointed in tonight’s results, we do not see this as a failure. We realize how hard positive change can be to implement in a State that is conditioned for failure.”
Amendment 3
“Do you support an amendment to provide the legislature the authority to determine which felony crimes, when committed by a person under the age of seventeen, may be transferred for criminal prosecution as an adult?”
Voters also rejected Amendment 3, which would have given lawmakers power to expand the list of felonies for which individuals under 17 can be tried as adults. It aimed to remove the current list of 16 felonies, allowing lawmakers to add more without voters approving a constitutional change.
34% voted in favor of the measure, while 66% voted against it. In Orleans Parish, the vote was 9% for yes and 91% for no, while East Baton Rouge Parish saw 25% for yes and 75% for no.
The measure was backed by the Louisiana District Attorneys Association, which advocates for prosecutors in the state, and the state Republican party.
Proponents argued that constitutional language has "hamstrung Louisiana from being able to address changes in an ever-changing juvenile crime landscape," state Sen. Heather Cloud, sponsor of the bill that led to the amendment, told lawmakers last fall.
But opponents like Morgan Shannon, executive director of the New Orleans Children and Youth Planning Board, said the amendment would have resulted in more kids being sent to adult prisons and harmed their future prospects.
"I just think that it gives ways for young people to be perpetually into the criminal justice system at a younger rate where their brains aren't fully developed, their frontal lobes aren't really developed," she said.
Shannon criticized the "tough-on-crime narrative" that blames young people for the state's issues, saying that children need to feel supported by adults.
Louisiana's justice system already treats 17-year-olds as adults due to a law that was passed last year.
Amendment 4
“Do you support an amendment to provide for the use of the earliest election date to fill judicial vacancies?”
Voters rejected Amendment 4, which would change how judicial vacancies are filled.
The final vote results were 36% for yes and 64% for no. In Orleans Parish, the results were 10% for yes and 90% for no. In East Baton Rouge Parish, the results were 29% for yes and 71% for no.
Opponents argued that important judicial positions should not be filled through elections, especially when voter turnout is often very low. However, LABI supported the amendment.
“They believe its intent is to reduce election costs and ensure stronger voter turnout for judges’ races,” the organization said in a statement.
The “No to Them All Coalition,” which had opposed all four of the amendments, called the results “a win for democracy and a win for the people of Louisiana.”
“Voters saw through the smoke and mirrors and saw that these amendments were not written with our interests at heart,” the group said in a statement Saturday night.
