General Election, November 3, 2020
Louisiana held its general election on November 3, 2020, deciding the office of Public Service Commissioner District 5.
Highlights
- With no legislative seats on the ballot, Louisiana's statewide November vote came down to seven constitutional amendments, and the two that drew real campaigns went opposite ways: voters wrote anti-abortion language into the constitution and rejected a property-tax deal for manufacturers.
- Amendment 1 declares that the state constitution protects no right to abortion and no right to abortion funding. Backers pitched it as insurance: if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, state judges could not find such a right in Louisiana's own constitution. Louisiana Right to Life said voters had mandated that state judges "can never use our Constitution to enshrine abortion."
- Amendment 5 would have let local governments negotiate payments in lieu of property taxes with new or expanding manufacturers, including the liquefied natural gas terminals going up in southwest Louisiana. Lawmakers had sent it to the ballot by lopsided votes, but it lost in all 64 parishes after Together Louisiana and teachers unions campaigned against it as corporate welfare. The National Education Association supplied most of the money for the main opposition group.
- Voters approved 5 of the 7 amendments. Besides Amendment 1, the winners let assessors count oil and gas production when valuing wells (Amendment 2), let lawmakers tap the rainy-day fund for declared disasters by a two-thirds vote (Amendment 3), raised the income cap for the senior property-tax freeze to $100,000 (Amendment 6), and created an Unclaimed Property Permanent Trust Fund (Amendment 7). Along with Amendment 5, voters also rejected Amendment 4, which would have capped yearly spending growth at 5% over the prior budget. In separate parish-by-parish votes, 56 of 64 parishes approved sports betting, leaving lawmakers to write the rules.
- Both Public Service Commission incumbents on the ballot won their final terms under term limits. In north Louisiana, Foster Campbell (D), first elected to the state Senate in 1976, beat Shane Smiley (R), a member of the Ouachita Parish Police Jury (the parish governing body), by about 6 points in District 5. In District 1, covering suburban New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Republican Eric Skrmetta led a crowded first round without a majority. He then won the December 5 runoff over Democrat Allen H. Borne Jr. by about 24 points. Borne had refused utility-company contributions and made the industry's campaign money his issue. The same December 5 ballot carried a constitutional amendment to let the governor appoint an out-of-state member to the University of Louisiana System board, and voters rejected it.
Legislature
- House (105 seats): 35 D, 68 R, 2 other or vacant before the election, 35 D, 68 R, 2 other or vacant after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (39 seats): 12 D, 27 R before the election, 12 D, 27 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
Statewide races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|
| Amendment 1 | States that there is no right to abortion or abortion funding in the state constitution | Passed (62.06% yes) |
| Amendment 2 | Allows the presence or production of oil or gas to be taken into account when assessing the fair market value of an oil or gas well for ad valorem property tax purposes | Passed (58.34% yes) |
| Amendment 3 | Allows the Louisiana State Legislature, through a two-thirds vote in each chamber, to use up to one-third of the revenue in the Budget Stabilization Fund to cover the state's costs associated with a federally-declared disaster | Passed (55.34% yes) |
| Amendment 4 | Changes the state's expenditures limit growth formula | Failed (44.24% yes) |
| Amendment 5 | Authorizes a property tax exemption for property that is subject to an agreement with local government; allows certain property owners to make payments instead of paying property taxes | Failed (37.33% yes) |
| Amendment 6 | Increases the income limit from $50,000 to $100,000 for those who qualify for the special assessment level for residential property receiving the homestead exemption | Passed (62.16% yes) |
| Amendment 7 | Creates the Unclaimed Property Permanent Trust Fund and allocates investment revenue to the general fund | Passed (64.32% yes) |
Runoffs, December 5, 2020
Louisiana held runoffs on December 5, 2020, deciding the office of Public Service Commissioner District 1.
Legislature
- House (105 seats): 35 D, 68 R, 2 other or vacant before the election, 35 D, 68 R, 2 other or vacant after; control stayed with Republicans.
- Senate (39 seats): 12 D, 27 R before the election, 12 D, 27 R after; control stayed with Republicans.
Statewide races
Ballot measures
| Measure | Description | Result |
|---|
| Amendment 1 | Allows the governor to appoint an at-large member to the board of supervisors for the University of Louisiana System from out-of-state | Failed (23.53% yes) |