As voting takes place in Louisiana and across America, experts predict substantial Republican gains. Marsanne Golsby has more…:
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Today is the last day for UNO students to vote on whether they want increased student fees to bring a football program to the Lakefront campus…:
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It’s election day in Louisiana and across the nation. U.S. Senator John Kennedy is up for re-election and most analysts are predicting he will win easily. JMC Analytics pollster John Couvillon says early voting results tilt Republican.
In another bad sign for Democrats, Couvillon says African American early and absentee voting is not as high as usual. Couvillon says, in rural parishes, Kennedy ought to have a massive lead with the early vote. In Louisiana’s Third Congressional District, Congressman Clay Higgins is facing active opposition from attorney Holden Hoggatt. Couvillon says for Hoggatt to have a chance, he needs to keep Higgins below 50 percent in Lafayette Parish. He says the votes in the parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Laura will also be important.
Nationally, Couvillon says he expects Republicans to add 30 seats in the House of Representatives. He expects the GOP to add two or three seats in the Senate.
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In addition to candidates, there are also eight constitutional amendments on the ballot. Public Affairs Research Council President Steven Procopio urges voters to review the amendments before they go to the polls so they’re better informed and not holding up the line. You can do so at PARlouisiana-dot-org.
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Four of the amendments deal with property tax and Amendment Seven involves changing the language of involuntary servitude and slavery in the state constitution. Procopio says it’s a short amendment but difficult to interpret.
Cut 7 (11) “…interesting one.”
Procopio says the eight amendments on the statewide ballot aren’t necessarily big sweeping changes as you’d expect on a national level, but it depends on who you are and your status if a change in property taxes would impact your finances.
Another three amendments will be voted on December 10th.
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Voting concludes today on the UNO campus as the university is asking students if they would want to raise student fees in order to start a football program, two new women’s sports, golf and soccer, a marching band and additional extra activities. UNO athletics director Tim Duncan says football could bring more students to the school…
The new Student Experience Fee will be 300-hundred dollars for part-time and 400-dollars for full-time students per semester. Duncan says he’s heard from students who wish the Privateers had a football team….
Cut 10 (07) “…kind of experience.”
Duncan says if the student experience fee passes, a stadium would be built with private funds and hopes to play games in the Southland Conference in 2025….
UNO’s enrollment has fallen from 17-thousand pre-Katrina to over seven-thousand this year.
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Louisiana voters will be rewarded with the traditional “I Voted” sticker once they exit the polls today and Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin says this year’s edition is a colorful image of the State Capitol.
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Chances are you’ve already seen them, Ardoin says there’s such a demand for the stickers to show you’ve performed your civic duty that he made sure they were available during early voting.
Because it’s a federal election day also polls opened at 6 AM and close at 8 PM.
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State Police are investigating an officer-involved shooting Sunday afternoon in Rapides Parish. The incident claimed the life of 45-year-old Derrick Kittling of Alexandria, who is the brother of LSP Lt Colonel Kenny Van Buren. Master Trooper Casey Wallace says the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office asked LSP to oversee the investigation.
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Wallace says Kittling was pulled over during a traffic stop and a physical altercation occurred between the deputy and Kittling in which Kittling gained control of the deputy’s taser.
Wallace says the deputy also received injuries from the incident, but they were not life-threatening. He says the agency will release more details regarding the incident and the investigation remains active.