Some surprising early voting numbers released by the Secretary of State’s office. Andrew Greenstein reports.
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State Senator Jay Morris is accused of using a derogatory word towards Black people at a racially charged Senate Committee meeting. Jeff Palermo has the story.
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The early voting numbers released by the Secretary of State’s office paint a startling picture. Of the nearly quarter-million ballots cast in the seven days of early voting, including the absentee ballots which have been returned, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by nearly 45-hundred. JMC Analytics Pollster John Couvillon says three factors especially motivated Democrats to show up to the polls.
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Couvillon says Democrats may also be motivated to vote against all five constitutional amendments, including the amendment to create a new school district in the newly incorporated city of St. George in East Baton Rouge Parish. Couvillon says with the heavy Black turnout statewide, especially in East Baton Rouge Parish, the amendment appears to be in jeopardy.
While the early vote totals indicate the party affiliations of those who cast ballots, they do not indicate who they voted for – we won’t find out until Saturday night. Couvillon says regardless of the vote totals, we likely will not be in for a repeat of John Bel Edwards’ win in 2015 – the Republican who secures the U.S. Senate nomination will still likely win in November.
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Couvillon says the early voting totals represent a voter turnout of a little more than 25-percent. Of course, there’s still Election Day this Saturday to go.
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West Monroe Senator Jay Morris is accused of using a racially derogatory term during a heated debate over a new Congressional District map. Because tensions were running high, the meeting was briefly paused. Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Director Dadrius Lanus says when Morris got up from his seat, he told him to “Shut Up Boy”…
Lanus was a guest on WRKF’s “Talk Louisiana.”
Morris denies using the word boy. Senate Governmental Affairs Chairman Caleb Kleinpeter spoke with reporters and he does not believe the word “Boy” was used towards Black people in the audience…
The video from media members is inconclusive on whether Morris said the word “Boy” when confronting audience members that he said were talking loudly during the debate making it hard for him concentrate and answer questions.
Kleinpeter says he spoke with several news organizations who were covering the tense committee meeting and none of them heard Morris use the word “Boy
But Lanus says he knows what he heard…
The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will meet again on Wednesday. It’s expected they will approve a map that eliminates one, if not both, Black Majority districts from the state’s Congressional map.
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AAA is expecting a record 39.1 million people to travel by vehicle this Memorial Day holiday, despite soaring gas prices. Spokesman Don Redman says part of the reason is that people had already made their plans before the war in Iran began, which directly led to the sharp increase in gasoline prices.
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The statewide average for a gallon of regular gasoline is four dollars in Louisiana, up $1.30 from last year.
Redman says even with gas prices being a lot more expensive now than they were a month and a half ago, the additional money people planning a Memorial Day road trip will need to set aside won’t be all that much, with all things considered.
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Redman says the bigger concern is if the war in Iran lingers on and, in effect, gasoline prices remain high, that could put a huge dent into holiday travel late in the year.
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Two teens were killed in a crash in Concordia Parish, and the teen driving the SUV is under arrest. Investigators say shortly after 12:30 yesterday morning, 18-year-old Gregory Steele of Vidalia lost control of the SUV and drove it off the roadway, causing it to overturn. Steele suffered minor injuries, but 19-year-old Jacob Bonnette of Vidalia and 17-year-old Michelle Baity of Natchez, Mississippi, were killed. State Police Trooper Casey Wallace says alcohol appears to have been a factor.
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Wallace says to what extent that Steele was intoxicated remains to be seen.
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Another 18-year-old suffered moderate injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment. Wallace says none of the four teens inside the SUV were restrained.