A street car rolls over the participation of a vote in New Orleans. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
In the stunning rejection of Republican governor Jeff Landry, Louisiana voters refused all four constitutional changes on Saturday, including the governor’s plan to revise the laws on the tax and budget of the state.
Nearly two-thirds of the voters have rejected any election changes that may have broader political consequences for the rest of Landry’s term.
The governor, who sometimes relies on a strong hand tactics to get his agenda through Louisiana’s legislation, may become more vulnerable to discounts after he fails to pass his most ambitious urn policy proposal.
The priority of landlords for election, amendment 2, would reduce the maximum rate of income tax that the state can accept and limit the annual increases of the state budget. It would also make it difficult to accept new tax breaks.
The proposal was expected to lead to the financial status of landlords of Landri and the state later this year. Amendment 2 would move hundreds of millions of dollars tax revenue from state savings accounts to the Louisiana General Fund, where Landry and the state lawmakers could spend it easier.
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Landri tried to sweeten voters on amendment 2 by binding it with compensation for teachers in public schools. If he had passed, the temporary scholarships worth 2000 and $ 1,000, which teachers and school support have received in the last two years, are expected to become permanent.
Teachers are now at risk of reducing the pay, as landlizes did not include money for his scholarship in his current budget proposal.
In a statement, after the result was certain, the governor attributes the defeat of amendment 2 to billionaire George Soros, who survived the Holocaust, born in Hungar, which the conservatives have been aimed for several years for his support for liberal causes.
– Soros And the extreme left liberals poured millions in Louisiana with propaganda and outspoken lies for amendment 2, Landri said. “Although we are disappointed with the results of tonight, we do not see this as a failure. We realize how severe a positive change can be applied in a condition that is conditioned for failure. … This is not the end for us and we will continue to fight to make changes in generations to succeed Louisiana.”
The most available tax records show that the foundations of the open societies of Sorietiz gave $ 1.25 million in 2023 at a branch of the Institute of Justice Vera, a non -profit purpose for a total of $ 260 million, which makes money in the effort of winning the amendment 3. It is not clear whether Louisian for the choice.
Landry had support for amendment 2 from another controversial billionaire. The conservative Republican Charles Koch is the founder of the Americans for prosperity, a group that has knocked on the doors, runs telephone banks and sent a direct mail in favor of the proposal.
The opponents of the amendment 2 celebrated their defeat on Saturday night. These include William most, a lawyer who is unsuccessfully judged that the proposal was removed from the newsletter. He claims that the language placed in front of the voters was confused and misleading, making it illegal.
“I think this is a complete rejection of attempts to lure Louisiana voters to vote for something they don’t want,” most said. “… It sends a clear message that if government officials want to change our constitution, they cannot do so through trick or fraud.”
Landri and the Republican legislative body may, inadvertently disadvantage the public opposition to amendment 2 by placing it on the same vote as amendment 3, a measure of justice for minors, which attracted the wrath of Democrats and the national groups to combat intercrance.
Amendment 3, to which 66% of voters opposed, would facilitate the sending of more minors to adult prisons and prisons for longer sentences. He encouraged national organizations to reform criminal justice, such as the Vera Institute and the South Center for Poverty, to spend more than $ 500,000 to turn voters against it.
Sarah Omoyola, director of Louisiana for the Vera Institute, said the results for amendment 3 voters were beginning to reject imprisonment as the sole option for criminal justice. She added that high levels of imprisonment served only to destabilize communities, not to reduce crime.
“In the victory of the amendment, 3 voters have clarified their desire for the things that actually make our communities more festive – as a quality education and opportunities,” Omoyola says in a statement.
While these organizations focused on the victory of the amendment 3, they also became the backbone of the “Not All” campaign, working to vote on all four of the constitutional amendments that Landry insisted.
Proponents of the tax proposal in amendment 2 said they believe that the issue of criminal law had a negative effect on their measure in the interviews earlier this week.
“[Amendment 3] is a huge motivation of groups that say no to everything. This seems to be the motivating factor, “said Daniel Erpamer, CEO of the Pelican Institute, a conservative cerebral trust that helped to make a change in tax and budget.
Landry’s team began to see problems during the early vote for election. John Kuvilon, Louisiana’s experienced anchor, said Democrats and Black voters appear in a much larger number of Republicans during the early vote.
“I have just never seen an early vote on this strong [for Democrats]Kuvilon said.
In addition to amendment 3, Kuvilon said that left -handed voters could be motivated and vote against Republicans due to concerns about President Donald Trump. Landry is also closely aligned with the Trump administration.
However, opposition to amendment 2 and changes in budget and taxes also came from some conservative activists. Religious groups and non -profit organizations were dissatisfied that the change would weaken the constitutional defenses for the exemption from the property tax they were enjoying.
Woody Jenkins, chairman of the Republican Party in East Baton Rouge and a former state representative, was among those who opposed the amendment. In an interview on Saturday night, he noted that although “the whole political establishment of the state” supported the proposals, the voters had a particularly severe change in amendment 2.
“Public members do not want to vote for something they do not understand,” Jenkins said. “… they do not want a massive review of the constitution with everything but the kitchen sink in it.”
The defeat of amendments 2 and 3 also probably led to a decline in amendment 1, which failed with 65% of voters against the proposal. This would allow the formation of specialized courts in Louisiana with jurisdiction beyond current parishes and judicial areas.
Amendment 4 also failed, with 64% of voters. This would adjust the rules for special elections for filling free or new judges, mainly in the Louisiana Supreme Court.
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