Louisiana Voters Reject Constitutional Amendments

NEW ORLEANS: As events at the national level continue to unfold at a breakneck pace, I wanted to make sure you heard about the latest developments in Louisiana.  We are incredibly proud to share our big ray of hope and confirm that we the people still hold the power. 

As you may recall, last spring Governor Landry and his colleagues tried to re-write Louisiana's constitution. Using Project 2025 as their roadmap, they introduced legislation in March 2024 that would have significantly threatened democratic norms and eroded key social rights enshrined in Louisiana's State Constitution. Our local bipartisan coalition defeated Landry's proposed legislation last May.

Last fall, Gov. Landry came back again calling for a Special Legislative Session which began on November 6, 2024.  He successfully passed a host of new laws, including four constitutional amendments, but for the amendments to become a part of the Constitution, they need to be ratified by the voters. Again, following Project 2025, these amendments would have made adverse changes to Louisiana courts, government finances, juvenile crime, and elections for judicial seats.

This past Saturday, the people of Louisiana voted NO on all four amendments, with roughly 65% opposed.

In New Orleans, voters rejected each amendment by over 89% and turnout exceeded the state average by 10%. In East Baton Rouge (the state capital), turnout hit over 72,000 voters — nearly triple what some expected — and more than 70% of voters said ‘NO’ to every amendment. In Caddo Parish (home to Speaker Mike Johnson) over 60% of voters said no.

This amazing success is the result of and consistent local organizing that included traditional outreach and disciplined message delivery that began last Spring. Louisiana Republicans hold a super majority in the state legislature with an extremely pro-Trump Governor. But the people (from both parties) pushed back. 

Those of us here were able to prove what we’ve been saying all along--Louisiana is not a red state — it’s an underfunded state. When the resources are balanced and the people have choices, we get the kind of results we saw this weekend.

If it's possible in Louisiana, it's possible everywhere - but locals must lead with sustained support. Landry’s response has been textbook as he blamed liberals and dark money for his defeat, but he also did the unimaginable and castigated the voters by saying we’re a "state conditioned for failure." We plan to keep the momentum going and win big in the upcoming legislative session on insurance, teacher raises and energy justice for the people of Louisiana.  We will show him that Louisiana and its people are ready and eager to demand more from its leaders no matter their party.

Andreanecia M. Morris

President, HousingLOUISIANA