Our Views: Go to polls and vote

Although this year’s presidential contest is the hot item on today’s ballot, voters in Louisiana will face many other decisions at the polls today. In East Baton Rouge Parish, voters will cast ballots for mayor-president and also vote in numerous Metro Council races. A number of judgeships are on the ballot, including a race for a vacant seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court. Congressional races across the state also add interest to today’s election.

As if that weren’t enough, Louisiana voters will also decide the fate of nine proposed constitutional amendments. Voters in many parishes, including East Baton Rouge Parish, will vote on whether to limit the terms of their local school board members. Voters in some parts of Ascension will consider a 25-year, half-cent sales tax for road and bridge improvements, and Lafayette Parish voters will decide whether to renew a 10-year, 16.7-mill property tax for Lafayette Parish Schools.

We detailed our positions on many of these issues in earlier editions of The Advocate. Readers can find those previous editorials at http://www.theadvocate.com. Here’s a rundown of our positions for those who want a handy reference at the polls:

• Amendment 1 — Medicaid Trust Fund for the elderly — No.
• Amendment 2 — Expansion of gun rights — No.
• Amendment 3 — Public notice of retirement bills — Yes.
• Amendment 4 — Exemption from property taxes for spouses of disabled veterans — No.
• Amendment 5 — Pensions of felons — No.
• Amendment 6 — Property tax exemption in New Iberia — No.
• Amendment 7 — Changing membership on boards and commissions — Yes.
• Amendment 8 — Local property tax exemption for certain businesses — No.
• Amendment 9 — Crime prevention districts — Yes.
• Term limits for school board members — No.
• Tax renewal in Lafayette — Yes.
• Ascension Parish sales tax — Yes.

Polls open today at 6 a.m. and close at 8 p.m.

We urge voters who have not done so to go to the polls today and cast an informed ballot.

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