Louisiana voters were poised Tuesday night to approve seven out on the Nov. 3 ballot.
As of 11:05 p.m., nearly all of the 3,722 precincts had reported Election Day voting results, and all parishes, except for Orleans, had reported counts for early voting and absentee ballots.
Five of the proposals dealt with , and five dealt with a mishmash of other issues: gubernatorial term limits, bail for violent crimes, state debt, drinking water infrastructure and eminent domain.
The following amendments were set to pass:
Amendment 1 - Property tax exemption for spouses of disabled veterans
Amendment 1 allows the surviving spouse of some disabled military veterans who have died to transfer a special, higher property tax exemption to a new home if they move. The transfer can only happen once.
Amendment 3 - Post-conviction bail
Amendment 3 limits when someone who has been convicted of a crime can be let out on bail before they are sentenced or the appeal process has fully played out.
Now, in cases of conviction for an “aggravated offense” against a minor, Amendment 3 creates a constitutional prohibition against bail. Rape, sexual battery, kidnapping and human trafficking are examples of aggravated offenses.
Amendment 4 - Gubernatorial term limits
Amendment 4 imposes . Under the proposal, Louisiana governors have a lifetime limit of two terms.
Until now, governors who served two consecutive terms were not allowed to serve for a third consecutive term; however, they were allowed to serve as governor again if they took a break for at least one term.
Amendment 6 - Property tax exemptions for seniors
Amendment 6 allows cities and parishes to offer a bigger property tax exemption to seniors who qualify for a tax freeze due to having a household income below $100,000. That income cap increases to $150,000 with the passage of Amendment 9.
Seniors could already have the first $75,000 of a home’s fair market value exempt from taxes. With the passage of Amendment 6 — and if local voters in a city or parish also approve the new exemption — seniors who qualify for a tax freeze would see their property tax exemption grow:
Amendment 7 - Paying for drinking-water line repairs
Amendment 7 allows taxpayer money to be used to that contain lead located on private property.
Amendment 8 - Eminent domain by ‘foreign adversaries’
Amendment 8 prohibits private entities deemed as “foreign adversaries” or an “agent” of a foreign adversary from expropriating privately owned property, a process often referred to as “eminent domain.”
Foreign adversaries include the countries of China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia and the Maduro regime in Venezuela.
Amendment 9 - Expansion of property tax freeze
Amendment 9 expands the pool of homeowners who qualify for a special assessment level, more commonly understood as a property tax freeze.
Certain homeowners like seniors, people with permanent disabilities and disabled veterans can have the assessed value of their home “frozen” so their property taxes don’t go up in subsequent years. To qualify for the freeze, a household income must be less than $100,000 annually.
Amendment 9 increases that income cap to $150,000, and beginning in 2028, the threshold would be adjusted every year according to the Consumer Price Index.
Three amendments fail
Three amendments were on track to fail as of 11:05 p.m.
Amendment 2 would give local governments more flexibility to roll back or roll forward property taxes.
Amendment 5 would give state officials greater flexibility on how to pay off debt owed to Louisiana’s state retirement systems, eliminating a requirement to pay off the oldest debt first.
Amendment 10 would require the Legislature to create property tax exemptions for blighted properties that have been rehabilitated, which has not been allowed under the Constitution. Under Amendment 10, it would have then been optional for local governments to offer that tax break.