Early voting for March 29 off to good start in Vermilion Parish

Vermilion Parish Registrar of Voters Tina Broussard wasn’t sure exactly what kind of start to expect for early voting for the March 29 election, which opened this past Saturday.
There’s only one race on the ballot for the March 29 election, and that’s a special election for a seat on the Abbeville City Council. However, four constitutional being on the ballot opens it up to every voter in Vermilion Parish.
Nearly 700 voters have already taken part in the process. Broussard said as Tuesday morning that 222 voted in-person, with another 470 returning absentee ballots.
“It’s definitely busier than I expected,” Broussard said happily. “Things are going smoothly.”
Early voting will continue through this Saturday, March 22. Voters can take part by visiting the registrar’s office, which is open 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on each of those days. The office is located on the first floor of the Vermilion Parish Courthouse.
The special election will be for the District B seat on the Abbeville City Council. Two candidates, Rachel Touchet Mouton and Francis Plaisance, are looking to serve the remainder of former Councilman Francis Touchet Jr.’s unexpired term. That term will end in June of 2026. Touchet, who is the superintendent of the Lafayette Parish School System, stepped down last October, after representing District B since ‘02.
Mouton, Touchet’s sister, was appointed by the council last October and currently holds the seat. Plaisance previously served on the city council as councilman-at-large from 2006 to ‘22.
Voters across Louisiana will decide the fate of four new proposed constitutional amendments.
Topics range from discipline of lawyers to tax rates to juvenile trials to filling vacant judgeships.
Following is a synopsis of each of the proposals:

Proposed Amendment 1: Do you support an amendment granting the Louisiana Supreme Court jurisdiction to discipline out-of-state lawyers for unethical legal practices in the state of Louisiana, and to grant the legislature the authority to establish trial courts of limited and specialized jurisdiction? (Amends Article V, Sections 5(B), 15(A) and 16(A))
If adopted, the Louisiana Supreme Court would get the power to discipline all lawyers working in the state, even if they’re from out of state. Also, the state Legislature would be allowed to create courts that handle special types of cases — like a business court.
If the amendment fails, the Louisiana Supreme Court would only be able to discipline lawyers who are
members of the Louisiana bar. Our-of-state lawyers would not fall under their authority.
Also, the state Legislature would keep the authority to create courts with limited — but not specialized — purposes.

Proposed Amendment 2: Do you support an amendment to revise Article VII of the Constitution of Louisiana including revisions to lower the maximum rate of income tax, increase income tax deductions for citizens over sixty-five, provide for a government growth limit, modify operation of certain constitutional funds, provide for property tax exemptions retaining the homestead exemption and exemption for religious organizations, provide a permanent teacher salary increase by requiring a surplus payment to teacher retirement debt, and make other modifications? (Amends Article VII, Sections 1 through 28; Adds Article VII, Sections 29 through 42)
If passed, this constitutional amendment would have a number of affects:
• It would lower the maximum income tax rate, meaning high earners would pay less in taxes.
• It would create a spending limit on essential services like education and healthcare. Any extra money would have to go toward one-time projects, like roads and bridges, instead of ongoing needs.
• It would eliminate the state’s revenue stabilization fund and shift $1.76 billion into a new fund that helps cover budget shortfalls.
• It would take away tax exemptions from nonprofit hospitals, social service groups, fraternal organizations, and non-religious schools, meaning these organizations would have to start paying property taxes. Only religious institutions would remain tax-exempt.
• It would remove the guaranteed minimum tax rate on cigarettes and give lawmakers the power to decide how much to tax them.
• It would change how Louisiana’s severance tax (a tax on natural resources like oil and gas) is handled, allowing more of that money to go to local governments.
• It would let cities and parishes create their own taxes on things like income, inheritance, and fuel — something they currently aren’t allowed to do.
• It would get rid of several education-related funds and use that money to pay off teacher retirement costs so that teacher raises can be permanent.
Opponents argue that, while there are parts of this amendment that would support Louisiana residents, like the teacher raises, but many of the tax provisions would hurt communities by reducing the level of social services that the state can provide, infrastructure that can be built, and protections for residents.

Proposed Amendment 3: Do you support an amendment to provide the legislature the authority to determine which felony crimes, when committed by a person under the age of seventeen, may be transferred for criminal prosecution as an adult? (Amends Article V, Section 19)
This amendment is about who decides which crimes are serious enough for suspects under 17 to be tried as adults. Currently, the state constitution has a specific list of crimes for this. The amendment would take that list out of the constitution and let lawmakers decide which crimes should qualify through state law instead.
Currently, the constitution lists serious crimes like:
• Murder (first- or second-degree)
• Manslaughter
• Rape (aggravated, forcible or simple)
• Armed robbery
• Kidnapping (aggravated or second-degree)
• Multiple serious drug offenses (like selling drugs)
• Repeat offenses for crimes like burglary or aggravated burglary
If the amendment is adopted, the list of crimes in the constitution would be removed and the Louisiana Legislature would have the poser to decide which crimes could lead to a juvenile being tried as an adult.
Opponents fear this would allow lawmakers to change the rules over time without needing a constitutional amendment.

Proposed Amendment 4: Do you support an amendment to provide for the use of the earliest election date to fill judicial vacancies? (Amends Article V, Section 22(B))
This amendment is about how quickly Louisiana fills open spots for judges when there’s a vacancy. It changes the timeline for holding special elections to pick a new judge.
A yes vote would fill judge vacancies as soon as possible, using the earliest election date allowed by state law. If a ‘major election’ — governor or Congress — is happening within a year of the vacancy, the special election to fill the judge spot would happen at that time.
A no vote would keep the current rule, which gives the state up to 12 months to hold a special election to fill a judge’s spot even if an earlier election is already planned.
On election day, the polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.