Black voters are turning out in droves in the early days of early voting. Andrew Greenstein reports.
Cut 1 (35) “…I’m Andrew Greenstein.”
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LSU President Wade Rousse announced increased safety measures for LSU’s next home football game. Kace Kieschnick reports.
Cut 2 (35) “…I’m Kace Kieschnick.”
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If you have kids, you know how expensive they can be. That’s why according to a poll from the First Five Years Fund, more than a quarter of Louisianans say they’re delaying starting a family. The group’s executive director, Sarah Ritting, says the poll shows that more than four out of every five say finding affordable child care is a crisis or a major problem.
Cut 3 (07) “…families want options.”
Ritting says this is an issue that crosses ideological lines – 90-percent of Democrats, 74-percent of Republicans and 82-percent of independents say it’s a serious concern.
Cut 4 (07) “…needs to address.”
Ritting says this problem will require a multi-faceted solution – one component of which is tax credits so that working parents can keep more of their income that they can use for child care.
Cut 5 (11) “…into their pockets.”
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Through the first two days of early voting, almost 176-thousand voters have cast ballots; and of those, almost 56-thousand of them are Black. That Black turnout amounts to 32-percent of the total turnout thus far; and John Couvillon, the founder of JMC Analytics and Polling, says while that lines up with the Black population of Louisiana as a whole, that represents a considerably higher Black turnout compared to other recent high-profile non-Presidential elections.
Cut 6 (11) “…half percent Black.”
Couvillon says the increase in Black voter turnout may be the result of lingering anger over the last-minute redistricting that eliminated one of the two majority-Black congressional districts.
Cut 7 (13) “…redrew the districts.”
Couvillon says about 30-percent of all ballots will be cast during early voting, and he does not expect the Election Day returns to yield much of a change from the early voting returns.
As such, Couvillon says if a candidate gets about 55-percent of the vote during early voting, that should be enough of a margin for that candidate to hold on for the win.
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After Deputies used pepper balls to break up unruly crowds at LSU’s home game against Mississippi State, the university announced it will be stepping up safety measures for the Tigers’ next home game against Alabama. LSU Chief Communications Officer Meg Casper Sunstrom says there will be increased security presence and large-scale gatherings are prohibited.
Several fights broke out during an unauthorized gathering near the Pentagon and Greek Theater on campus after LSU’s homecoming game.
The gatherings officials are targeting are not your average family tailgate. Sunstrom says they are large-scale unauthorized events with D-J’s and live bands.
Student tailgates must conclude an hour before kickoff.
Sunstrom says the university will also emphasize pedestrian safety. Pedestrian routes and vehicle restrictions will be evaluated on campus, and she says extra safety provisions are being made to areas like Nicholson Drive, where a couple was killed after being struck by a vehicle Saturday night.