nah brah voter guide
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nah brah business
We have a nah brah community zoom tonight at 7pm! We’ll be communing, laughing, living, loving, and hearing from 10,000 Women’s Melissa Flournoy about local advocacy efforts. Open to paid subscribers only. You can manage your subscription here and you can register for the zoom at the link at the bottom of this email.
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Louisiana, we have an election this month!
Here’s everything you need to know:
Election Day is March 29, 2025
Early Voting is March 15-22 (excluding Sunday, March 16)
Everyone in Louisiana will be voting on four constitutional amendments. In addition, 14 parishes will have local races, 17 parishes will have local propositions, 10 parishes will have both local races and propositions.
You can view election quick facts here
You can view your sample ballot here or download the Geaux Vote mobile app
You can find your early voting locations here
You can find your Election Day polling location here
You can verify your voter registration here or on the Geaux Vote mobile app
If there is a problem with your voter registration, please contact your registrar of voters, which you can find here
It is super important that you a) make a plan to go vote (preferably during early voting because you never know what might happen) and b) make sure you are prepared and have reviewed your ballot BEFORE you go vote. Anything down ballot like these constitutional amendments will have a DIRECT impact on your day to day life. Make sure you use your voice accordingly.
If you find this voter guide helpful, please consider donating here or becoming a paid subscriber to support this work.
constitutional amendments
amendment #1:
What it says: “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?”
What it means: The first part of the amendment (the disciplining out-of-state lawyers part) already exists, so that’s bullshit. But the second part is the real meat of it—if this amendment passes, it would broaden the Legislature’s ability to create specialty courts. Opponents of this amendment have argued that this would result in:
a specialized court that takes power away from judges in New Orleans, similar to a state-run court created by Mississippi legislators to have jurisdiction over misdemeanor cases in a portion of the capital city Jackson that includes downtown state government buildings and some other areas. (PAR)
kangaroo courts that “are meant to let Baton Rouge insiders set up special, can’t-lose courts for their friends and special, can’t-win courts for their enemies.” (No To Them All, which was shared by Louisiana ACLU, so I trust it)
My vote: That’s a nah brah for me, dawg. Apart from the two reasons listed above, the language of the amendment is incredibly vague and would allow these clowns to run away with our judiciary system. Hard pass.
amendment #2:
What is says: “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?”
What it means: From Invest in Louisiana (a group I heavily trust):
Amendment 2 on the March 29, 2025 statewide ballot is a proposed overhaul of the longest portion of the state’s foundational document, which deals with taxes and government spending. If approved by voters, it would enshrine a regressive tax system where the wealthiest people and corporations pay far lower overall tax rates than people with low incomes. It would eliminate constitutionally protected funds that provide ongoing funding for education and transportation programs, and make it harder for state policymakers to deal with the ups and downs of Louisiana’s economy.
It is likely to leave Louisiana with less revenue, at both the state and local levels, to pay for essential services that people and communities need in order to thrive.
This amendment is being presented to voters in language that is misleading, and which fails to capture the true extent of what voters are being asked to consider. It was passed as part of a rushed, 16-day special session where the Legislature also made wholesale changes to the state tax structure – cutting personal income and corporate taxes while raising the state sales tax to make up a part of the lost revenue.
My vote: That’s a nah brah for me, dawg. Once again, the language is incredibly vague, but would manage to accomplish the following (from Power Coalition, another group I heavily trust):
amendment #3:
What is says: “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?”
What it means: From Power Coalition:
This amendment is about who decides which crimes are serious enough for kids under 17 (juveniles) to be tried as adults. Right now, the state constitution has a specific list of crimes for this. The amendment would take that list out of the constitution and let lawmakers decide which crimes should qualify through state law instead…which ultimately means children under the age of 17 could be put in adult prisons at a higher rate.
According to No To Them All:
This amendment is shrouded in mystery—no one knows who even asked for the Amendment in the first place. When the author of the amendment was quizzed on which additional crimes she wanted to send kids to adult prisons for, she named only crimes that already allow this under current law. Either she’s shockingly ignorant of her own policy or wants to hide the amendment’s true intent.
My vote: That’s a nah brah for me, dawg. The last thing we need to do is increase incarceration in the state of Louisiana, especially for children. This is actually a fuck no for me, dawg.
amendment #4:
What it says: “Do you support an amendment to provide for the use of the earliest election date to fill judicial vacancies?”
What it means: This amendment is a companion to Amendment 1, and determines how judges for the new courts created by the legislature would be elected (Power Coalition). This amendment would effectively make it easier for those in power to slip in elections on random days where no one is paying attention so their brofriends win judgeships easily.
My vote: That’s a nah brah for me, dawg. The judicial bros already have it easy enough.
TL;DR:
THAT’S A NAH BRAH ON ALL OF THEM, DAWG
resources:
PAR Constitutional Amendment Guide
Power Coalition Constitutional Amendment Guide
Invest in Louisiana Deep Dive into Constitutional Amendment #2
No To Them All (you can sign up for their newsletter with regular updates on the constitutional amendments)