Hello, all! Welcome to the 2023 nah brah voter guide (General Election edition)
Just a few things before we get started:
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general information
In this election, there are three statewide races (Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Treasurer) and four constitutional amendments. You may also have some local amendments on your ballot, along with 2 State Senator races and 18 State House races, so make sure to check your ballot.
Check your voter registration: You can check it online here, or download the Geaux Vote app and check it there.
Know what’s on your ballot: To find out specifically what’s on your ballot, you can download the Geaux Vote mobile app, or click here if you aren’t into apps.
Put these dates in your calendar and make a plan to vote:
constitutional amendments
This section is based on constitutional amendment reports provided by:
You can read their in-depth reports at each respective link.
Amendment 1: “Do you support an amendment to clarify that the timing of gubernatorial action on a bill and his return of a vetoed bill to the legislature is based upon the legislative session in which the bill passed and to authorize the legislature, if it is in session, to reconsider vetoed bills without convening a separate veto session?”
Overview: To become a law, a bill has to be approved by the legislature and sent to the Governor, who has to sign the bill. If the Governor vetoes the bill instead of signing it into law, the legislature can override the veto with a 2/3 vote. In order to take that veto override vote, the legislature has to call a special veto session. This amendment would allow the legislature to take a vote to override a veto during a regular or special session instead of convening in a separate veto session.
My vote: I’m a yeah brah on this one. It’s purely procedural, and it’s supported by the Louisiana House Democratic Caucus.
Amendment 2: “Do you support an amendment to remove provisions of the Constitution of Louisiana which created the following inactive special funds within the state treasury: Atchafalaya Basin Conservation Fund, Higher Education Louisiana Partnership Fund, Millennium Leverage Fund, Agricultural and Seafood Products Support Fund, First Use Tax Trust Fund, Louisiana Investment Fund for Enhancement and to provide for the transfer of any remaining monies in such funds to the state general fund? (Repeals Article VII, Sections 4(D)(4)(b), 10.4, 10.10, and 10.12(B) and (C) and Article IX, Sections 9 and 10)”
Overview: When the constitution was enacted in 1974, it contained only two special funds. In the nearly 50 years since then, lawmakers and voters have added more than two dozen more constitutional funds. No funds have been eliminated from the constitution since they were created. Some funds have longstanding zero balances or haven’t been used in years, if ever. The amendment would do away with six defunct funds (five of which don’t contain any money) that aren’t being used and no longer fulfill the purposes for which they were created. The one fund with a balance of $603.95 will roll that money over into the state general fund (from PAR).
My vote: I’m a yeah brah on this one. It’s also supported by the Democratic House Caucus, and it’s a rare opportunity to “shrink the state’s bloated constitution.”
Amendment 3: “Do you support an amendment to authorize the local governing authority of a parish to provide an ad valorem tax exemption for qualified first responders? (Adds Article VII, Section 21(O))”
Overview: This amendment would give parish governments the authority to offer property tax exemption of up to $2,500 to first responders. Parishes that approve such tax breaks would have to determine exactly who is eligible and verify their employment status each year. Local governments would be barred from making up the lost revenue by imposing additional taxes, adjusting millages, or reappraising property.
Argument for (as expressed by the House Democratic Caucus): Allowing a parish or municipality to offer a break on property taxes for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders helps recruit and retain people who serve their communities.
Argument against (as expressed by LBP):
Louisianans overall pay some of the lowest residential property taxes in the country. To compensate for low property tax revenues, parishes and municipalities rely heavily on regressive sales taxes - which fall hardest on low-income residents - to finance essential public services.
If this amendment passes, parishes and municipalities that choose to offer exemptions for first responders would have less revenue available to pay for things like parks, libraries, schools, police protection, and other services. The authority to approve these tax breaks would lie with the parish taxing authorities, such as a parish council or police jury. School boards and city governments, which also would lose tax revenue, wouldn’t have a say.
The structure of these proposed tax credits raises questions about fairness and effectiveness: What if a first responder resides outside of the parish where they work? What if a first responder works in a parish that approved the tax credit but lives in a parish that did not? What if the first responder rents their home?
Several lawmakers expressed concern that this amendment could create a tax break “arms race” of sorts, in which neighboring parishes would feel compelled to enact similar tax credits.
Moreover, parish authorities already have a proven policy tool they can use to attract more first responders into their ranks: Raise enough revenue to provide them with adequate pay and benefits.
My vote: This is a tough one. I agree with everything LBP said, AND I see the value in recruiting first responders to the City. I’m leaning yes, although I do view this amendment as a band-aid solution to systemic problems that could ultimately cause more systemic damage. It’s your call, brah.
Amendment 4: “Do you support an amendment authorizing the legislature, after securing a two-thirds vote of each house, to use up to two hundred fifty million dollars from the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund to alleviate a budget deficit subject to conditions set forth by law and allowing the legislature to modify such conditions for accessing the monies in the fund, subject to two-thirds vote? (Amends Article VII, Section 10.15(E)(1) and (F); Adds Article VII, Section 10.15(G))”
Overview: Louisiana basically has two major savings accounts, the Budget Stabilization Fund, better known as the “Rainy Day” Fund, and the Revenue Stabilization Fund. People are pretty familiar with the Rainy Day Fund. It can be used in certain circumstances to help deal with current or projected budget deficits and the financial impacts of a federally declared disaster. It can only be accessed by a two-thirds vote of the Legislature, and no more than one-third of the revenues in the fund can be used at any one time.
The Revenue Stabilization Fund is a relatively new fund. It was created in 2016 as a way to bring some added stability to the budget process. Historically, the state has had two major revenue sources that have been volatile to extreme ups and downs – corporate taxes and mineral revenues. On occasion, they have created budget problems when we spent money on recurring expenses when these revenues spiked and then had to deal with budget cuts when collections faltered. This fund was designed to mitigate that (CABL).
This amendment would remove the provision allowing withdrawals of any amount up to the full balance from the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund in an undefined emergency with a two-thirds legislative vote and replace it with more restrictive language involving budget deficits, essentially turning it into a second rainy day fund. Lawmakers technically could still use the fund at any time, but it would take a more complicated series of votes and involve more constraints (PAR).
My vote: Full disclosure, the original bill that created the Revenue Stabilization Fund in 2016 was authored by former State Rep. Walt Leger, who I worked for at the time. I worked my ass off on that bill and was thrilled to see it pass. IMO, it was a big win for the State of Louisiana because it was good, sound policy—especially coming off a Jindal administration that left the state bankrupt, completely depleted the Rainy Day Fund, and basically made a religion out of using one-time money for recurring expenses.
As we are entering a new administration and a fiscal cliff in 2025 (due to sales tax reductions set to expire then), I still think the Revenue Stabilization Fund is good, sound policy, and I don’t think this amendment does it justice. It changes the intent of the Fund, and it places arbitrary restrictions on money meant to be available in an emergency scenario. So, I’m a nah brah on this one. The House Dems support it.
In recent years Louisiana has done an excellent job of building its reserves, which today are more than 10 times what they were in 2016-2017.
This cumbersome amendment would make it harder for legislators to access these reserves, and in turn make it more difficult to cope with the financially lean times that loom ahead for state government. In Spring 2025, the Legislature is expected to face a budget shortfall, thanks largely to tax policies enacted years ago that will drain more than $600 million in revenue. Lawmakers need more flexibility, not less, to cope with these changes and avoid cuts to education, health care and other important programs.
The Legislature - and voters - were wise to create a new savings account that has left Louisiana better prepared for a rainy day and less vulnerable to the boom-and-bust cycles of an extraction economy. Lawmakers built reasonable restraints into the law when it was originally passed, and it is working as intended.
attorney general race
From Lift Louisiana: The Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the state. The primary responsibility of the office is to represent state agencies in civil suits and offer advisory opinions on state legal questions.
The runoff is between Lindsay Cheek and Liz Murrill:
Lindsey Cheek (D) | website | Trial attorney, endorsed by Gov. Edwards, LA Dems. Has a history of legal advocacy on behalf of the residents of Cancer Alley. Her website states that she “litigates on behalf of everyday folks who have been affected by corporate greed, unfathomable inequities, and environmental tragedies.”
Liz Murrill (R) | website | Solicitor General and top Janky Jeff deputy, endorsed by the LA GOP, Janky Jeff, and John Kennedy (yikes). A vote for Liz is a vote for Janky. She would continue to use the office the same way he has. Enough said.
TL; DR: If you want any kind of checks and balances on a Janky Administration, Cheek is your girl. If you want Janky Jeff to fly his jank flag, Murrill is ya girl.
secretary of state race
From Lift Louisiana: The Louisiana Secretary of State is the chief election officer of the state, responsible for qualifying candidates, overseeing the elections, and tabulating and verifying the results. The SOS prepares and certifies the ballots for all elections, promulgates all election returns, and administers the election laws, except those relating to voter registration and custody of voting machines. The next secretary of state is faced with replacing the voting machines the state uses (which has proven difficult as a result of v loud election deniers and conspiracy theorists) and will have to champion a campaign to help parish election officials inject new blood into their election workforce.
The runoff is between Gwen Collins-Greenup and Nancy Landry.
Gwen Collins-Greenup (D) | website | A private attorney, Collins-Greenup has run for the position twice before, in 2018 and 2019. This is her third run with a platform focusing on strengthening business, securing elections, and protecting the right to vote.
Nancy Landry (R) | website | She currently serves as the first assistant secretary of state for current Secretary Kyle Ardoin. She was a Representative for District 31 from 2008-2019. Her goals include education reform, hazing reform, and family law.
From the Louisiana Illuminator: The winner of the Nov. 18 general election will take over an office that has recently come under pressure and scrutiny from far-right election conspiracy theorists — one of the reasons Ardoin declined to seek reelection. While Collins-Greenup has mentioned little about such theories, Landry has at times entertained them. During a Sept. 22 candidate forum the Public Affairs Research Council hosted, she acknowledged Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election but stated there were “some very troubling allegations” of voting irregularities in swing states. She offered no specifics or explanations for her claim.
Real Talk: Landry will probably win, but a vote for Collins-Greenup won’t be wasted because a vote is never wasted. A vote for Collins-Greenup will show that there are people in Louisiana who want to shift the conversation away from bullshit conspiracy theories to issues that actually impact election results in Louisiana. If we don’t vote, they assume we don’t exist and swing even harder to the right. Don’t waste this opportunity to take a stand and make an impact.
treasurer race
From Lift Louisiana: The state treasurer handles billions of dollars in public money. The agency distributes state money to individual state agencies and local governments. It also oversees Social Security and Medicare coverage for all public employees, both in state and local government.
The runoff is between Dustin Granger and John Fleming.
Dustin Granger (D) | website | financial advisor, endorsed by all the Dem heavy hitters, has called for the chair of the State Democratic Party, Katie Bernhardt, to step down.
John Fleming (R) | website | former Congressman, endorsed by the LA Repub Party
The Treasurer generally has limited authority—the office of the Treasurer “supervises the state’s financial accounts but doesn’t get much of a say over how the money is spent or generated.” In addition, “the Treasurer leads the State Bond Commission that oversees the state’s debt and financial-borrowing schedule, but ultimately gets just one vote on that 14-member panel.” (Source)
Although both of those things seem to be limiting and apolitical in nature, the role of the Treasurer has been politicized by Schroder, particularly when he pulled the State’s money from companies that embrace environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment strategies, especially those that are friendly to climate change initiatives (and then appeared on Fox News to talk about it).
Also, the Treasurer’s role in overseeing the Bond Commission could be of particular political importance under a Janky Jeff administration since Janky has long urged the Bond Commission to use its power for political purposes and swaying social issues.
So, where the candidates stand on those two issues is of most interest to me: are they anti-ESG, and do they intend to use the Bond Commission to weigh in on social issues?
Granger is to the left of these issues (meaning pro-ESG, anti-politicized Bond Commission).
Fleming is to the right (anti-ESG, and says he agrees with most conservative stances on things like libraries and vaccines but “as treasurer, he doesn’t believe he will have much authority to influence local government policies,” which is, at best, a lukewarm repudiation of further politicizing the position).
TL;DR: Granger is ya boi
additional resources
If you have questions about what these elected positions entail, check out PAR’s Statewide Elected Officials' Job Duties and Responsibilities
Additional Voter Guides:
Candidate Surveys:
in conclusion:
GEAUX VOTE UR VOTE IS NEVER WASTED
I can’t say this enough, although I feel like I actually did before the Primary, and we saw those turnout numbers. So, now, dear brah, it is up to you. What do you value? What is your priority? What truly matters to you?
I guess we’ll know soon enough.
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