Gov. Landry's amendments face a reckoning
Read our quick guide to the proposed constitutional changes before voting.
Saturday is a big day at the polls—a U.S. Senate primary and five constitutional amendments that have become something of a referendum on Gov. Jeff Landry.
Early voting data is showing a Democratic surge, and the reading in political circles is straightforward: they're coming for the amendments. Landry takes this stuff personally. His last round of constitutional amendments went down in flames last year, and he's been grinding toward redemption ever since, an insider tells RedEye. Saturday may not deliver it.
The backlash has a specific shape. Black and liberal voters are energized—and furious—over Landry's push to eliminate a second majority-minority congressional district, according to The Advocate. That anger has a place to land Saturday, and these amendments are it.
We published a full guide to the amendments before early voting started. It's below
Mukul Verma
And the Reader's Digest version
• Amendment 1 gives lawmakers more power to pull state jobs out of the civil service system.
• Amendment 2 would let St. George create its own school district — and pull roughly $107 million away from East Baton Rouge Parish schools in the process.
• Amendment 3 creates a dedicated funding stream for teacher and staff raises by liquidating $2 billion in education trust funds that currently pay for education projects.
• Amendment 4 would let parishes scale back or eliminate business inventory taxes.
• Amendment 5 moves the judicial retirement age from 70 to 75, keeping judges on the bench longer.
Voting is 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Baton Rouge is not going to fix itself. It might, however, be better understood.
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