BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Voters in Louisiana will see a few constitutional amendments on the ballot in both upcoming elections this fall.

A total of eight amendments will be on the ballots. Four will appear on ballots in the Oct. 14 primary election and the remaining four will be on the Nov. 18 general election ballot. Topics include retirement debt, veto sessions, church protections and property tax exemptions.

The Public Affairs Research and Council of Louisiana shared a helpful guide breaking down what a vote for and against each proposed amendment would do.

Here’s what to know about the constitutional amendments on ballots.

Oct. 14 Amendment No. 1: Prohibiting donations to conduct elections

What a vote for would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote for approving the amendment would ban the use of financial or other donations from a nongovernmental source or a foreign government to administer elections under most circumstances.

An argument for this, according to the guide, is that allowing nongovernment sources to help pay for elections will let them have undue influence in the management of election operations.

“Donations can be skewed to specific parishes based on the partisan leanings of the voting majority who lives there, giving some places more resources than others to run their elections,” the guide said.

What a vote against would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote against would allow election officials to determine whether to accept financial or other donations from outside sources to conduct elections.

An argument against this, according to the guide, is prohibiting donations to help in covering election costs limits the dollars available for election agencies to pay for their expenses, maintain needed staffing levels and ensure well-run casting of ballots.

“The assistance could be particularly useful after disasters and in response to inflationary increases,” the guide said.

Oct. 14 Amendment No. 2: Protection for worship in churches

What a vote for would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote for this would declare the highest level of constitutional protection for the freedom to worship in a church or another place of worship, requiring courts to apply the strictest level of judicial review to challenges when governor bodies would restrict access.

An argument for this, according to the guide, is the United States has declared the free exercise of religion one of the nation’s most sacred rights, and the added language in Louisiana’s constitution will ensure protections that citizens can gather in houses of worship to fulfill that right.

“Passage of the amendment would remove confusion among various courts and judges about the applicable standard of judicial review,” the guide said.

What a vote against would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote against would maintain current constitutional protections.

An argument against this, according to the guide, is both the U.S. and state constitutions already protect the free exercise of religion as one of the nation’s most safeguarded rights, and the added language is unnecessary.

Oct. 14 Amendment No. 3: Surplus spending on retirement debt

What a vote for would mean

Per PAR’s guide, it would require lawmakers to use 25% of any state surplus to pay retirement debt for the four state retirement systems.

An argument for this, according to the guide, is Louisiana must cover its pension obligations to retired workers, and this approach would lower the state’s long-term financial burden.

“Spending more one-time money on billions of dollars in outstanding liabilities of the four pension systems will put the state on a stronger financial footing and lessen the money the state must pay annually for retirement debt,” the guide said.

What a vote against would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote against would leave the current requirement that lawmakers spend 10% of any state surplus to pay retirement debt for two state retirement systems through 2029.

An argument against this, according to the guide, is Louisiana has a multibillion-dollar backlog in infrastructure projects and needs.

“Removing a larger portion of that surplus from the legislative budget debate reduces the money available for other critical projects and removes lawmakers’ flexibility to determine their own state spending priorities,” the guide said.

Oct. 14 Amendment No. 4: Property tax exemptions for nonprofit organizations

What a vote for would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote for this would allow local government officials to remove a property tax exemption from nonprofit organizations that lease housing and have repeated public health or safety violations.

An argument for this, according to the guide, is that nonprofits don’t correct repeated problems with their apartments or other housing they lease to people and risk the health and welfare of residents or their neighbors and should not be rewarded with valuable tax breaks.

What a vote against would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote against would maintain the current system of property tax exemptions for nonprofit organizations, including those that have repeated health and safety violations.

An argument against this, according to the guide, is code enforcement violations can be subjective, and local governing officials shouldn’t make case-by-case decisions on valuable property tax breaks because the authority could be misused and based on politics.

Nov. 18 Amendment No. 1: Deadlines to veto bills and rules for veto sessions

What a vote for would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote for this would allow lawmakers to try to override a governor’s bill rejections without calling a separate veto session if they are already in a legislative session and add further details about the deadlines for a governor to veto bills.

An argument for this, according to the guide, is that writers of the Louisiana Constitution didn’t anticipate so many special sessions called in a term, so they didn’t properly account for how to apply bill veto rules across multiple sessions when they fall close together.

What a vote against would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote against would require lawmakers trying to override a governor’s bill rejections to hold a separate veto session if the vetoes came in a legislative session that has
ended and kept the current rules for a governor to issue bill vetoes.

An argument against this, according to the guide, is that the Louisiana Constitution is clear in its deadlines for bill vetoes and its rules for veto sessions.

Nov. 18 Amendment No. 2: Repeal of inactive special funds in the constitution

What a vote for would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote for this would remove six inactive funds with zero or near-zero balances from the Louisiana Constitution.

An argument for this, according to the guide, is repealing inactive funds wouldn’t change anything for the state financially, but it would clean up the cluttered Louisiana Constitution.

What a vote against would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote against would keep the six inactive funds with zero or near-zero balances in the Louisiana Constitution.

An argument against this, according to the guide, is lawmakers and voters created the funds for an initial purpose, and they may want to return them to use in the future.

Nov. 18 Amendment No. 3: Property tax exemptions for first responders

What a vote for would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote for this would allow a parish governing authority to give an extra property tax exemption to police, firefighters and certain other first responders who own homes and live in the parish.

An argument for this, according to the guide, is granting an additional property tax break can help recruit and retain people in needed first responder jobs, and areas with severe shortages of police officers are searching for more ways to draw people to the work.

What a vote against would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote against would maintain the current property tax system, which doesn’t let parish governing authorities offer the extra tax break to first responders.

An argument against this, according to the guide, is special property tax breaks erode the dollars available to local government to provide needed services and shift the tax burden to fewer taxpayers.

“An extra tax exemption for first responders will decrease the tax revenue available to school systems and other local agencies, many of which won’t have a say on whether to enact the exemption,” the guide said.

Nov. 18 Amendment No. 4: Rule changes for the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund

What a vote for would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote for this would tighten the rules on the allowed use of a seven-year-old state trust fund that collects dollars from corporate tax collections and oil and gas production in Louisiana.

An argument for this, according to the guide, is the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund was created to bring more certainty to state budgeting and give lawmakers a financing source for needed infrastructure projects.

What a vote against would mean

Per PAR’s guide, a vote against would maintain broad rules for the emergency use of a seven-year-old state trust fund that collects dollars from corporate tax collections and gas production in Louisiana.

An argument against this, according to the guide, is Louisiana locks up too much money in constitutionally protected accounts that limit lawmakers’ ability to respond to the state’s changing needs and circumstances.

“This amendment would worsen the problem, removing the Legislature’s flexibility to tap into the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund in times lawmakers consider an emergency,” the guide said.