Gov. Landry’s Lock-Up Lottery: Your Vote, Your Loss
Roll call for all citizens! Join Gov. Jeff Landry in his noble quest to lock more kids up in state prison. For too long, Louisiana has denied every child the right to be thrown in jail for the maximum amount of time possible. Gov. Landry would like to change that. But he needs your help.
The Problem: Louisiana Just Isn’t Tough Enough on Kids
Right now, Louisiana isn’t doing enough to lock its kids away in adult prisons. The main obstacle? The state constitution. That pesky, 72,000-page document is too soft and too woke on crime. Maybe it was written by an agent of DEI. Who knows?
What we do know is that right now, the constitution lists only 16 felony offenses that can lead to charging 14- to 16-year-old kids as adults. These offenses range from first-degree murder to repeat drug offenses. Clearly, that’s not enough!
Gov. Landry’s Solution: Just Take Your Vote Away
The only way to add more offenses to the constitution is through a vote of the people, meaning you have a say. That’s a problem. But never fear! Gov. Landry has a fix. It’s called eliminating you from the equation. And he’ll graciously let you be the one who votes your own rights away.
Yes, that’s right. With one pull of the lever or push of the button, you can forfeit your right to have a say and let lawmakers assume it in your place. All you have to do is show up on March 29th and vote YES to Amendment 3.
What Amendment 3 Really Does
Amendment 3 is one of four constitutional amendments on the ballot. It would remove the 16 felony offenses from the constitution—meaning it removes them from your jurisdiction. That power would then transfer to state legislators. From there, lawmakers could add those 16 and many more offenses to state law with just a two-thirds majority vote. The list could be endless. And it could change every legislative session.
This is a much more practical way to ensure kids get the punishment Landry believes they deserve. The alternative? Having citizens vote on every new offense Landry or any legislator wants added to the list. And that would be inconvenient.
The Consequences: More Black Kids in Adult Prisons
If national trends hold, the system will likely charge more Black kids as adults and send them to rot in prison with adults. According to The Sentencing Project, Black kids are 2.3 times more likely to be arrested than white kids.
Gov. Landry has already waged war on Black youth. When he ran for governor, he singled out New Orleans, East Baton Rouge, and Shreveport (all majority Black cities) as areas that needed to be “tougher on crime.” So, you can safely assume that any future felony offenses added to the list will disproportionately affect Black kids.
Related: Landry’s Shocking War Against Louisiana’s Children
When You Can Help Out
Actually, early voting started Saturday, and it runs until 6 PM this Saturday. If you want to beat the March 29th rush, you can go out now and forfeit your right to determine our kids’ fates. Or—just a wild idea—you could vote NO and retain your right to have a say in what happens to Louisiana’s children.
Of course, Gov. Landry would frown upon that. But don’t just sit twiddling your thumbs. Go use them to vote. Our kids are depending on you.