In addition to all U.S. House members and one of Louisiana's senate seats on the ballot, there were several proposed constitutional amendments for voters to consider. Additionally, New Orleans voters were presented with a referendum to change the city charter.
New Orleans voters said yes to giving the New Orleans City Council power to approve or reject mayoral appointees to head major departments, such as police, fire, and safety and permits. It also would give the council the ability reject or approve the chief administrative officer, which is the mayor's right-hand official. The vote was 60 percent for and 40 percent against.
All current officials in those positions would be grandfathered in, and will only affect appointees going forward should someone resign, or after the next mayor takes office.
Amendment One, to increase to 65% the cap on the amount of monies in certain state funds that may be invested in stocks, failed by a vote of 64 to 36 percent.
Amendment Two expands certain property tax exemptions for property on which the homestead exemption is claimed for certain veterans with disabilities. Voters said yes to that in a 73 to 27 decision.
Amendment Three would have let civil service government employees support the election to public office of members of their own families, but voters decided that was not a good idea, and soundly rejected it, by a vote of 67 to 33.
Amendment Four, authorizing local governments to waive water charges that are the result of damage to the water system not caused by the customer, passed by a vote of 75 to 25.
Voters said no to Amendment Five, allowing the levying of a lower millage rate by a local taxing authority while maintaining the authority's ability to adjust to the current authorized millage rate.
Amendment Six, which limits the amount of an increase in the assessed value of residential property subject to the homestead exemption in New Orleans following reappraisal at ten percent of the property's assessed value in the previous year, narrowly failed by a margin of fewer than 7,000 votes. Even though that amendment affected only New Orleans, it needed approval from voters statewide.
Amendment Seven was written to remove a constitutional provision some see as legalized slavery. It would have prohibited the use of involuntary servitude except as it applies to the otherwise lawful administration of criminal justice. However, during the process of getting the amendment through the legislature, the author of it, Rep. Edmond Jordan (D-Baton Rouge) says it turned into something he didn't intend, and he asked voters to reject it. They did, 61 - 39 percent.
Amendment Eight, to remove the requirement that homeowners who are permanently totally disabled must annually re-certify their income to keep their special assessment level on their residences for property tax purposes, passed 55 to 45 percent.