What’s On Your Ballot
It’s news to no one that 2024 is an election year. It’s everywhere you look: the TV attack ads, the social media campaign trend contests, and the arguments at dinner tables across the country. But what you may not know is that November 5th is Election Day for more than just the presidential candidates.
Across the country, people will vote for their senators, representatives, and other local positions and state or county legislation. If you are unsure of what is on your ballot, there are many options to find out.
If you live in Louisiana, you can use Geaux Vote, a free online resource for registered Louisiana voters. It will ask you to enter your information and then will bring you to a website where you can view your sample ballot.
Texas voters can use the Candidate Ballot Order to discover what is on their ballot, though voters should know their congressional district and precinct before searching.
Like Louisiana, Oklahoma uses a Voter Portal accessible online. You can access it at the Oklahoma Voter Portal.
Arkansas has no official voter portal to view a sample ballot, but one can look up their sample ballot on Ballotpedia. Ballotpedia is a neutral, third-party voting resource that anyone can use to find voting information in their state.
Missouri voters can also view their sample ballot on Ballotpedia using the link to Missouri's Ballotpedia sample ballot.
Colorado’s voting population can view their sample ballot through the Colorado Secretary of State website.
Shreveport, likewise, is voting for a host of local issues and candidates in addition to the president. This year’s ballots holds a vote for the District Four congressional representative and whether or not to approve a new Constitutional Amendment.
Louisiana’s Congressional District Four race is incredibly, and unusually, influential on national politics. District Four covers almost all of western Louisiana down to the southern border of St. Landry Parish. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is up for reelection this year and is running against fellow Republican Joshua Morott.
Mike Johnson is the incumbent representative and the current Speaker of the House of Representatives. Johnson is a Republican and has served in the House of Representatives for seven years. Johnson’s primary economic issues, as described by his campaign's website, are built on reducing the national debt, protecting free market capitalism and free trade, and reducing public aid and assistance. Johnson’s social and governmental policies primarily revolve around his Christian values. As he once stated in an interview with Fox News, “Someone asked me today in the media, they said people are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue under the sun? I said, Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That's my worldview, that's what I believe. ... But here's the thing. Everybody comes to the House of Representatives with deep personal convictions, but all of our personal convictions are not going to become law.” Johnson’s social policies ultimately emphasize education, a public focus on morals, and adherence to Biblical values.
Joshua Morott is opposing Mike Johnson in the November 5th Congressional race. As stated in his Ballotpedia candidate survey, the primary foundations of his platform are strict adherence to the Constitution, a 9% flat tax for everyone, the legalization of recreational marijuana, and the defense of the Second Amendment. He also advocates for a strong national and state defense, including each state having access to an F22 fighter plane. His economic policies center on reducing government spending, including on foreign aid and healthcare. His social policies emphasize returning social responsibility primarily to state and local governments. For instance, he wishes to abolish the national Department of Education and have education primarily controlled by state governments.
Louisiana is also voting on a constitutional amendment on how taxes collected from green energy resources should be distributed. The finalized language of the amendment proposal reads, “Do you support an amendment to require that federal revenues received by the state generated from Outer Continental Shelf alternative or renewable energy production be deposited into the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund?”
Louisiana receives portions of federal revenue generated from energy production conducted within Louisiana’s borders. Current constitutional language dictates that federal revenue generated from oil and gas production must be distributed into the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund, a state fund set aside to combat coastal erosion in Louisiana's wetlands.
If approved, the constitutional amendment would allow federal revenue generated from renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, and tidal power, to also be added to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund.
Early voting begins October 18th in Louisiana, and Election Day is November 5th. You can find your polling and/or early voting location(s) at Geaux Vote.
