A package of bills aimed to make Louisiana number one in the country regarding election integrity will be addressed in the regular session which begins today. Teiko Foxx has more.
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After one day of early voting, the number of mail-in ballots for the presidential primary is the third highest in Louisiana’s election history. Brooke Thorington has more.
Cut 2 (31) “…I’m Brooke Thorington.”
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Today marks the first day of the 2024 legislative session. Secretary of State Nancy Landry is pushing a package of bills that would further boost the state’s election integrity policies. She says the bills would bring Louisiana closer to being ranked first in the nation for election integrity.
Among those bills is one that would expand voter canvass to further ensure that Louisiana’s voter rolls are accurate. Landry says House bill 114 will help verify if Louisiana residents are still eligible to vote.
Former Governor John Bel Edwards vetoed the proposed bill multiple times after it was passed by the legislature.
After 10 years, Landry points out voters would not be removed from the non-active voters list automatically. She says notification would be mailed out and if a voter does not respond…
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After one day of early voting, the number of mail-in ballots for the March 23rd presidential primary is the third highest in Louisiana’s election history. The November 2020 Presidential race and the 2022 Senate primary were first and second respectively. JMC Analytics pollster John Couvillon says when the pandemic eased the rules for those 65 and older to vote by mail…
The volume of mail-in voting for this primary is 17% higher than it was on the first day of the 2020 primary which was in July, not March. The dates were pushed twice due to COVID-surges.
Couvillon says considering this Presidential primary is “low wattage” with a few local elections thrown in, mail-in voting is higher than the 2020 Presidential primary…
He says it suggests that mail-in voting is a trend that’s here to stay.
The deadline for mail-in ballots to be turned in for this Presidential Primary is March 22 so it’s possible it could eclipse the 2022 Senate primary for mail-in votes. Couvillon says mail-in ballots for the November 2020 election were significantly greater than the 2022 Senate primary.
Caddo Parish has the highest number of mail-in votes this primary because of a hotly contested sheriff’s race.
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Jeremy Alford of La-politics-dot-com says insurance reform and education issues will be the big topics during the three-month long legislative session that began today. Alford says Republican lawmakers are eager to set up a program called education savings accounts. He says it would allow eligible families to use public money on a variety of education expenses
Cut 9 (10) “…private school tuition.”
Alford says new Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple is pushing a package of bills that are considered pro industry. Alford says Temple will make the argument to legislators that there are too many regulations on insurance companies…
Cut 10 (10) “…pro industry ideas.”
Alford says legislators also have to approve a budget for next fiscal year. He says lawmakers will look at reducing state spending with an eye towards 2025 when a temporary sales tax expires
Cut 11 (12) “…tough decisions”
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LSU and South Carolina battled each other hard yesterday and tempers flared late in the game which resulted in both benches clearing after Lady Tigers guard Flau’jae Johnson was pushed down to the ground. LSU ended up losing in the SEC Tournament title game 79 to 72, but Coach Kim Mulkey feels good about her squad
Poa was taken off on stretcher on Saturday night after banging her head on the floor. Mulkey expects Poa to be ready for the NCAA Tournament which begins next week.
LSU will find out on Sunday night who they will play in the NCAA Tournament. Sunday’s loss ended the Lady Tigers ten game winning streak and Mulkey is eager to see her team try to win another title…
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On the opening day of the legislative session, Governor Jeff Landry laid out his agenda for lawmakers. He began his speech by encouraging legislators to make his reforms in public education. The governor says he wants parents in control of a child’s education and take away some of the burdens affecting teachers…
Landry also wants legislators to tackle the insurance crisis and he’s calling for a constitutional convention. He says the current constitution makes it too difficult for lawmakers to correct the state’s problems
Landry and Republican lawmakers are pushing to move items out of the state’s constitution and place it into state law.