Louisiana has been in the national and world spotlight more recently since Mike Johnson has become Speaker of the House.

Senator John Kennedy is no slouch either and has received much praise for his stance against political corruption. In fact, he graduated magna cum laude in political science, philosophy, and economics from Vanderbilt University, was president of his senior class, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an executive editor of the “Virginia Law Review” and elected to the Order of the Coif. He earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree with first class honors from Oxford University (Magdalen College) in England, where he studied under Sir Rupert Cross and Sir John H. C. Morris. He has written and published several books and articles on Constitutional law, the Louisiana Products Liability Act, and the Federal Power Commission.

Louisiana voters will decide a number of races, including elections for Secretary of State and the Legislature. Voters will also decide four statewide ballot measures covering issues from taxation to how the Legislature conducts business.

Not all offices up for election this year will be on Saturday’s ballot, though as Louisiana uses the majority-vote system. 

All candidates, regardless of party affiliation, run in the same primary. A candidate who gets more than 50% of the vote wins the election outright. Many candidates, including Governor-elect Jeff Landry (R), did exactly that in the Oct. 14 primaries.

Here’s a look at what’s on the Nov. 18 ballot: 

State executive offices

• Secretary of State: Nancy Landry (R) and Gwen Collins-Greenup (D) advanced from the Oct. 14 primary after receiving 19.2% and 19.4% of the vote, respectively. Incumbent Kyle Ardoin (R) did not seek re-election. According to Louisiana Illuminator’s Greg LaRose, the winner of the 2023 election “should expect a fairly intense spotlight” since they would be responsible for “replacing the voting machines the state uses, a process current office holder Kyle Ardoin has had to restart twice.” Landry, a former state representative, has served as Louisiana’s First Assistant Secretary of State since 2019. Collins-Greenup, a private attorney, ran for secretary of state in 2019 and in the 2018 special election.
• Other state executive races: Louisiana voters will also decide races for attorney general, treasurer, and two seats on the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

State legislature

Louisiana is one of four states with state legislative elections this year, along with Virginia, Mississippi, and New Jersey. All 144 districts in the Louisiana Legislature—105 in the House and 39 in the Senate—are up for election this year. 

Twenty of those districts—18 House races and two Senate races—will be on the ballot Saturday after no candidate won the primary outright. In 2019, voters decided 29 races in the general election—24 in the House and five in the Senate. In 2015, voters decided 19 races in the general election—15 in the House and 4 in the Senate. 

Republicans have a 27-12 majority in the Senate and a 71-33 majority in the House (with one vacancy). The party is guaranteed a simple majority in both chambers after the election because 57% of races had a Republican candidate but no Democrat.

Democrats have not had a House or Senate majority since 2010.

Ballot measures

Louisiana voters will decide the following four ballot measures on Saturday:

• Amendment 1: Would allow the Legislature to consider vetoed bills during a regular or extraordinary session rather than convening a separate veto session. It would also clarify that the governor’s deadline to act on a bill is based on the legislative session in which the bill was passed
• Amendment 2: Would repeal constitutional provisions establishing various state funds that are now inactive and transfer remaining money in the funds to the state general fund
• Amendment 3: Would authorize local governments to provide an additional property tax exemption of up to $2,500 for first responders including fire fighters, emergency medical service personnel, emergency response dispatchers, peace officers, police officers, and sheriffs.
• Amendment 4: Would allow the Legislature, through a two-thirds supermajority vote, to use up to $250 million of funds in the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund to alleviate a budget deficit.

The four amendments on the Nov. 18 Louisiana ballot are the last statewide measures of the year. Louisiana voters approved four other amendments on Oct. 14. Forty-one statewide measures made the ballot in 2023, the most for an odd-year.

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