Louisiana voters reject constitutional amendments championed by Republican governor

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana voters soundly rejected 4 law amendments championed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry related to crime, courts and finances.

Voters said nary to each amendment by margins exceeding 60%, according to preliminary results the caput of state's bureau released aft voting concluded Saturday evening.

Landry and his allies had crisscrossed the authorities successful enactment of an amendment that would person made sweeping changes to the gross and concern conception of the state's constitution. The amendment received bipartisan enactment from lawmakers during a November peculiar league connected taxation betterment and was presented arsenic a mode to boost teacher salaries, curb excess spending and get escaped of peculiar taxation breaks successful the constitution.

Yet critics from crossed the governmental spectrum lambasted the projected amendment arsenic lacking transparency. The measure exceeded 100 pages but was condensed into a 91-word ballot question for voters.

While large teachers' unions backed the amendment, a conjugation of wide advocacy groups and influential blimpish spiritual figures opposed the changes that would person liquidated acquisition spot funds and removed law protections for taxation breaks for immoderate kinds of properties owned by spiritual institutions.

Another projected amendment would person made it easier for lawmakers to grow the crimes for which juveniles could beryllium sentenced arsenic adults. Criminal justness betterment groups rallied to reason what they described arsenic draconian punishment that would not code the basal causes of younker crime.

The remaining amendments would person allowed lawmakers to make determination specialty courts, which opponents said could beryllium utilized to usurp judicial authorization from section courts, and provided much flexibility successful the timeline for holding elections for the state's Supreme Court.

Landry said helium was disappointed but would proceed to combat for “generational changes” successful Louisiana.

“We bash not spot this arsenic a failure," helium said successful a statement. “We recognize however hard affirmative alteration tin beryllium to instrumentality successful a State that is conditioned for failure.”

Landry blamed the nonaccomplishment connected the left-wing billionaire George Soros and “far near liberals.” Open Society Foundations, a philanthropic enactment founded by Soros, did not instantly respond to petition for comment.

The Louisiana Democratic Party called the result “a resounding defeat” for Landry.

“Together, with voters from each party, radical came to the decision that the law amendments were astatine champion misguided - astatine worst an effort to springiness taxation breaks to the affluent portion locking up much of our children," the enactment said successful a statement. "That is not the Louisiana values we basal for."