Louisiana State and Local Government

The Green Papers: State and Local Government

Louisiana

Governor:	1	(Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms)
Senators:	2	(Electoral Classes 2 and 3)
2000 Representatives:	7	(1.61% of 435)
2002 Representatives:	7	(1.61% of 435)
2004 Electors:	9	(1.68% of 535)
1990 Census:	4,221,826	(1.70% of 248,765,170)
2000 Census:	4,480,271	(1.59% of 281,998,273)
Registered Voters (2000):	2,730,380
Estimated Voting age population (2000):	3,255,000
Capital:	Baton Rouge

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States Alphabetically Current Louisiana Statewide Office Holders


Official Name/Status All States
	The STATE of Louisiana
	Organized as a Territory: 26 March 1804. 2 Stat. 283: as the Territory of "Orleans"; previously, part of the so-called "Louisiana Purchase" formally annexed by the United States via Treaty with the French Republic, 21 October 1803
	Admitted to the Union as a State: 30 April 1812 by an Act of Congress of 8 April 1812 (2 Stat.701)
	The 18th state.


Traditional Sections and Regions All States
	Section: SOUTH
	Region: Lower ["Deep"] South
	Survey: Public Domain

Constitutions All States Links to State Constitutions

Enabling Act (of the Congress of the United States): 20 February 1811 [2 Stat. 641: authorizing the formation of a State government alone]

• 1st (1812-1845) [Adopted: 22 January 1812 Convention convened, 4 November 1811, Ratified: 22 January 1812 not submitted to the People; effective upon Admission, 30 April 1812]

• 2nd (1845-1852) [Adopted: 16 May 1845 Convention convened, 5 August 1844, Ratified: 5 November 1845 effective, 1 December 1845]

• 3rd (1852-1864) [Adopted: 31 July 1852 Convention convened, 5 July 1852, Ratified: 1 November 1852 effective, 29 November 1852]

• 4th (1864-1868) [Adopted: 23 July 1864 Convention convened, 4 April 1864, Ratified: 5 September 1864 ratified by vote of 6,836 to 1,566; effective, 19 September 1864]

• 5th (1868-1879) [Adopted: 2 March 1868 Convention convened, December 1867, Ratified: 18 August 1868 ratified by a vote of 66,152 to 48,739]

• 6th (1879-1898) [Adopted: 23 July 1879 Convention convened, 21 April 1879, Ratified: 2 December 1879 effective, 29 December 1879]

• 7th (1898-1913) [Adopted: 12 May 1898 on 22 November 1913, a Convention formally adopted a recodification of this Constitution; this recodification was not submitted to the People. In the opinion of 'TheGreenPapers.com', this 1913 recodification is not a new Constitution in and of itself, Ratified: 12 May 1898 not submitted to the People]

• 8th (1921-1974) [Adopted: 21 June 1921 Convention convened, 1 March 1921, Ratified: 21 June 1921 not submitted to the People]

• 9th (1975--) [Adopted: 1974 Convention convened, 5 January 1973, Ratified: 20 April 1974 effective, 1 January 1975]

Executive Branch All States

Chief Executive
	• GOVERNOR
Successor to a Vacancy
	• Lieutenant Governor [elected separately from GOVERNOR]

Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide All States 2008 Office holders
	• Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 1999, 2003. Term Limit: 2 consecutive 4-year terms
	• Lieutenant Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 1999, 2003. Elected separately from Governor
	• Secretary of State: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 1999, 2003
	• Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 1999, 2003
	• Treasurer: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 1999, 2003
	• Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 1999, 2003
	• Commissioner of Elections and Registration (--2003): 4 year term, Final Election Cycle: 1999. As of January 2004, this office will disappear completely (there will be no election for this office in 2003 or anytime thereafter).
	• Commissioner of Insurance: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 1999, 2003

Legislative Branch All States

Legislature
	• LEGISLATURE

Upper House
	• Senate
Lower House
	• House of Representatives

Judicial Branch All States

Court of Last Resort
	• Supreme Court
Intermediate Appellate Court
	• Courts of Appeal [IN: circuit FOR: State]

Local Government


PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION All States
	• Parish [Type: Strong, Executive and Legislative: POLICE JURY]
	MINOR CIVIL DIVISION All States
		• ward [Type: None, Executive and Legislative: no associated governmental structure]

Incorporated Municipalities All States

Localities
	• Louisiana Civil Divisions and Municipalities


Key Statewide / Federal Officials All States
	Louisiana Officials

Statutory Election Information All States

General Election All States
	• Federal: Tuesday next after 1st Monday in November in even-numbered years [La. Revised Statutes 18:402B(2)] (NOTE: Because of the ruling of the Federal courts that the statutory date for the Federal Primary in Louisiana is violative of Federal statute 2 USC 7 (which the courts held requires that no one can be formally elected to Congress until the date set for the General Election, this date is used as the date of the so-called "Open Primary" for U.S. Senators and Representatives in Congress.) State: 4th Saturday after the 2d to last Saturday in October in odd-numbered years [La. Revised Statutes 18:402A(2)] (held, between the top two vote-getters, for any office re: which no candidate received at least a majority of the vote in the Primary; thus, the General Election in Louisiana is really a Runoff)
Presidential Primary All States
	• (2007--) A statewide presidential preference primary election shall be held on the second Saturday in February ... except when a legal holiday falls on the second Tuesday of February, in which case, the presidential preference primary election shall be held on the third Saturday in February. [RS 18:1280.21 A.] [The legal holiday refers to Mardi Gras. -Ed]
State Primary All States
	• (--2006) for Federal office: 1st Saturday in October of even-numbered years [La. Revised Statutes 18:402B(1) (Note: Federal courts have ruled that this date violates Federal statute 2 USC 7 because it allows for candidates to be formally elected to Congress prior to the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, the date set for Congressional elections by that Federal statute) for State office: 2d to last Saturday in October of odd-numbered years [La. Revised Statutes 18:402A(1)] (this is the so-called "Open Primary" in which all candidates- regardless of Party- run against each other "all up" on one ballot; if a candidate should receive at least a majority of the total vote in this Primary, he/she is declared to have been elected and there is no election for the office in question come the General Election)
	• (2007--) SENATE BILL NO. 18 �1275.2 B. (1) Congressional first party primary elections shall be held on the first Saturday in September of an election year. (2) Congressional second party primary elections shall be held on the first Saturday in October of an election year. SENATE BILL NO. 18 �1275.14. A. In the event that no candidate receives a majority vote in the first party primary, the two candidates from each political party, who received the greatest number of votes in the first party primary shall be voted on in the second party primary.
Polling times All States
	• In the primary and general elections, the polls shall open at 6:00 a.m. on election day and shall close at 8:00 p.m. on election day. [RS 18:541]

Links Links to other web sites

Election Authority
	• Geaux Vote
	• Louisiana Ethics Administration
	• Louisiana Secretary of State
Legislature
	• Louisiana House of Representatives
	• Louisiana Laws
	• Louisiana State Legislature
	• Louisiana State Senate
Democratic
	• Louisiana Democratic Party
Republican
	• The Republican Party of Louisiana
Third Party
	• Constitution Party of Louisiana
	• Constitution Party of Louisiana
	• Green Party of Louisiana
	• Louisiana RIGHT TO LIFE Federation
	• Reform Party of Louisiana
Media & others
	• American Press - Lake Charles
	• Bossier Press-Tribune
	• COX.net - New Orleans
	• Crowley Post Signal
	• Daily Comet - Thibodaux
	• DC's Political Report - Louisiana
	• DeRidder Beauregard Daily News
	• KATC TV - Lafayette
	• Louisiana Politics by John Maginnis
	• Monroe Free Press
	• New Orleans CityBusiness
	• New Orleans Post
	• NewsLink.org - Louisiana
	• Politics1.com - Louisiana
	• PoliticsLA.com
	• RealLouisiana.com - Capital Watch
	• St. Mary and Franklin Banner-Tribune
	• The Ascension Citizen - Gonzales
	• The Daily & Sunday Star - Hammond
	• The Daily Advertiser - Lafayette
	• The Daily Iberian - New Iberia
	• The Daily Review - Morgan City
	• The Greater Baton Rouge Business Report
	• The News Star - Munroe
	• The Opelousas Daily World
	• The Ponchatoula Times - Tangipahoa
	• The Shreveport Times
	• the Times-Picayune [New Orleans]
	• The Town Talk - Alexandria
	• WABF TV - CBS - Baton Rouge
	• WBRZ TV - ABC / The Advocate - Baton Rouge
	• WDSU TV - NBC - New Orleans
	• WWL AM - New Orleans