This voter education guide is published primarily as a resource and does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate or proposition by ANTIGRAVITY Magazine.
AI was not used to write or compile any portion of this voter guide.
Welcome once again to your ANTIGRAVITY voter education guide for the June 27 election. On this ballot, you will be voting (depending on your party affiliation) for U.S. senator, Public Service Commission, Louisiana board of education, and potentially two local ballot measures.
We have published these guides since 2014—previously in collaboration with the New Orleans Harm Reduction Network and now under the ANTIGRAVITY banner. We utilized national media, local media, and social media. Our research included but was not limited to public records, campaign finance reports, court filings, and real estate records.
Despite lacking faith in politicians or the political order, we create this document as a way to dissect and map power. We do not offer endorsements, but we do provide summaries, as this is a resource designed to aid and alleviate the work for you, the reader. News relevant to this ballot will continue to break. We are but one resource, and we hope that you consult as many as possible before heading to the polls.
We suggest you bring a photo ID to the polls, but if you do not have one you can still cast a ballot by signing a voter affidavit which vouches for your identity. The secretary of state audits all voter affidavits after the election to ensure that you are who you say you are.
If you have a disability, you are entitled to receive assistance to cast your vote. If your assigned polling place is not accessible, report the issue to the ADA compliance officer at ada@sos.la.gov or 225-362-5113.
The makeup of the ballot, including texts of propositions, as well as information about how, where, and when to register and vote is based on information provided by the Louisiana secretary of state and the City of New Orleans website. For info on what your ballot looks like, as well as information about disability and voting, go to the SoS website, voterportal.sos.la.gov.
If you find that you cannot in good conscience cast a vote for a specific ballot measure, you are allowed to skip that ballot item. According to the secretary of state’s office, “A voter cannot cast a blank ballot; otherwise, they are free to vote for as many or as few races/questions as are on their ballot—from all of them to just one of them.”
This voter guide is offered without cost or sponsorship as a service to our beloved readers, but donations are accepted to help cover research fees and labor. A suggested donation of whatever your lifestyle considers $10 is appreciated. Payments can be made via Venmo or PayPal to @antigravitymag (all one word, no dashes). Please include “Voter Guide” or “VG” in the comment or memo.
We come to you amidst the wreckage of our latest legislative session, trying to make sense of the broken pieces that our representatives have smashed like petulant toddlers. As you’re probably aware from the last election, Louisiana has moved to a closed primary system for congressional and certain statewide elections. Races that did not reach a majority in their primary elections moved to a runoff race, which is what you’ll find on this ballot, but these are still limited within parties. This means that if you are registered as “no party” and voted in the Republican primaries you are locked into voting in the Republican runoffs (unless you changed back to Democrat before June 6). Once we make it to the general election in November, voters will no longer be limited to voting within their party. If you are registered as no party and did not vote in the primaries, you are eligible to vote in either the Democrat or Republican runoffs.
In cases where a party has an uncontested race—such as the Democratic races for the Public Service Commission District 1 and U.S. Representative 1st Congressional District—that race will not appear on this ballot. These uncontested candidates will appear on the ballot for their respective races on November 3, during the general election. This means that you haven’t seen the last of many of these races—and it’s time to understand what we’re moving towards in November. If you think this all sounds ridiculous, confusing, and unnecessary, let your representatives know!
The Louisiana legislature was successful in its removal of one of the state’s majority Black districts following the recent Supreme Court decision Louisiana v. Callais which declared the state’s Congressional districts—designed to create two majority-Black districts in response to a lower court’s ruling—”an unconstitutional racial gerrymander” while further limiting the power of the federal Voting Rights Act. Because of this, primary races for the House of Representatives races have been moved to the November 3 ballot.
U.S. Senator
Democratic Party
Gary Crockett
“Jamie” Davis
In its 237-year history, the U.S. Senate has only had 14 Black senators who served full terms, and none have been from Louisiana. While Pinckney Benton Stewart Pinchback, a Black political leader during Reconstruction, was elected to represent Louisiana in 1873, he was never allowed to take his seat. Thus, the November Louisiana election has the potential to be a historical one if either Gary Crockett or Jamie Davis defeat their Republican opponent, especially in light of the state’s efforts to further disenfranchise Black voters.
Gary Crockett advanced to the June 27 run-off with 26% of the vote (compared to Jamie Davis’ 47%), bumping out Nick Albares by only 284 votes. In early June, Crockett filed a lawsuit against the State of Louisiana for the passage of SB256 (now Act 15), which eliminates Calvin Duncan’s office at the Orleans Criminal District Court. Since the primary, Crockett has been making (slightly) more of an effort to appeal to Latino voters, posting Instagram posts that contain clips of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance and a Becky G music video interspersed with statistics about how this community is underserved and under attack by ICE. Crockett himself does not appear in either post, which could certainly be viewed as jarring and out-of-touch.
On his campaign website, Crockett has an open accessibility menu, a feature that is not always seen on campaign websites, even for more progressive candidates. Crockett grew up in poverty in the small city of Tallulah in northeast Louisiana. He served in the U.S. Navy for 24 years, and in a candidate debate at Southern University on April 21, Crockett stated that he has more experience than current Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Since the primary, he has rolled out new messaging that takes a dig at Jamie Davis’ history of being a farmer and highlights Crockett’s military background: “We Can’t Have Just A Farmer. We Need A Fighter.”
Crockett is a business leader who owns Branae Holdings LLC, for which he is also listed as the “Managing Director Crisis Management.” According to a recent interview with The Bayou Progressive, Crockett owns businesses related to cybersecurity, construction, and aerospace defense contracting. In that same interview, Crockett describes his politics as “conservatively progressive,” which he sees as progressivism wrapped up in practicality and values, and which seems a bit like he just doesn’t want to commit to what his actual political views are. He also seems to be equating having values with conservatism, which is certainly an interesting take. In the interview, he gives some conflicting views on abortion but also states that he would approve a constitutional amendment to protect abortion access. Crockett’s other priorities, as listed on his website, include protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP; lowering insurance costs; supporting small businesses; and “ensuring our budget reflects our values” by protecting programs for children, seniors, veterans, and working families. His campaign website also explains how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will negatively affect residents of Louisiana.
On the topic of AI, Crockett states that he does not believe that AI takes away as much as people think it will, arguing that people will still need to be involved to make sure AI functions, focusing on the job aspect of AI and not any of the other myriad issues. He has used AI in campaign materials as well. In an April 21 post in the Facebook group “What’s Poppin Shreveport Bossier,” he commented that he is “against data centers in population dense areas” but did not elaborate. A May 25 Instagram post on his official account emphasizes that “Louisiana should lead the AI revolution—not get exploited by it.”
Jamie Davis received 47% of the vote in the May 16 primary, carrying all 64 parishes. As a refresher, Davis is a third-generation row crop farmer from Tensas Parish in the northeast part of the state, farming on land that his grandfather once worked on as a sharecropper and which he now owns. He was elected as a police juror to the Tensas Parish District 7 police jury seat in 2015, serving as vice president of the Jury (essentially the parish council) for his four-year term. Davis ran and lost the race for District 21 state representative in 2023. He currently represents the 5th Congressional District on the Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Committee, and received the endorsement of the Democratic State Central Committee (DSCC). He has also received the endorsements of the Louisiana Democrats LGBTQ+ Caucus, the Independent Women’s League of New Orleans, and the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee. According to Davis, he is “not an extremist who has a far-left philosophy…I’m a farmer who is raising a family as well as crops. I’m a commonsense meat and potatoes politician who wants to make life better for those who are struggling.” In a May 15 interview with Louisiana Public Broadcasting, Davis claimed that he had the ability to “merge” Louisiana. He has also been critical of the new Louisiana congressional map—which totally eliminates one majority-Black district, replacing it with a Republican-leaning district—and of Governor Landry’s eagerness to suspend the House election until November in order to redraw the map. In a June interview with KLFY, he also expressed pride in Louisiana voters once again roundly rejecting all of Landry’s proposed state constitutional amendments.
As with Crockett, Davis is opposed to the OBBBA and wants to roll back many of its provisions, including those related to Medicaid cuts. His priorities include expanding access to affordable healthcare, increasing the minimum wage, and affordable education. Many statements have been removed from Davis’ website since the primary election, such as “Religious freedom is a Constitutional right to be protected. Government should not unduly limit reproductive freedom on religious grounds;” stating that “We should enforce our borders and immigration laws consistent with the due process and Constitution. Strict enforcement can and should be consistent with respect for humanity and our history as a nation of immigrants and the productive role of immigrants in our economy. We need to update our immigration laws to provide both legal pathways and strong enforcement;” as well as comparing himself to late Republican Senator John McCain, claiming that he will put “common sense and Country over Party.” It’s interesting to say the least that Davis removed some of his most controversial points on his website as his campaign is gaining a bit of steam. Let’s hope it’s in the spirit of growth, though the removal of reference to reproductive freedom does give some pause. In the interview with KLFY, he stated, “The people of Louisiana deserve representation. They don’t deserve someone who is basically working for the interests of the President or the Governor. Louisiana deserves a senator who will listen to the people.”
Summary: Both candidates are opposed to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and have listed among their many priorities the protection of Medicare, Medicaid, and SNAP, investment in education, and protection of reproductive freedom. None will commit to any politically ideological shorthand for where they are on the spectrum of Democratic Party candidates. Crockett is a business owner and military veteran who is “against data centers in population dense areas” but is not entirely opposed to AI and used AI-generated images in his campaign. Davis is a third-generation farmer who represents the 5th Congressional District on the Louisiana Democratic Party Executive Committee, and who received the sole endorsement of the state Democratic party. His stance on immigration is somewhat contradictory, calling both for strong enforcement and updating legal pathways for immigrants.
U.S. Senator
Republican Party
John Fleming
Julia Letlow
It seems as though Bill Cassidy’s disagreements with the president caught up with him, as his reign as a Louisiana senator has finally come to an end. The lack of an incumbent for this seat makes it much more of anyone’s game.
John Fleming earned 28% of the vote during the primary election. Fleming is Louisiana’s current treasurer and a bit out of touch: He once stated in a complaint about a proposed tax hike by President Obama, “by the time I feed my family, I have maybe $400,000 left over.” In addition, he isn’t very good at spotting satire, as he once believed that an Onion article titled “Planned Parenthood Opens $8 Billion Abortionplex” was the real deal. He’s the former deputy chief-of-staff to President Trump, and has also worked as an entrepreneur, a physician, a coroner, and he was a U.S. House representative from 2009 to 2017 in Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District.
According to his website, he voted “97% conservative” while in Congress, has an A+ rating from the NRA, and co-founded the far-right Freedom Caucus alongside folks like Florida Governor and former Congressman Ron DeSantis. He’s been endorsed by the Vernon Parish Republican Executive Committee, the Desoto Parish Republican Party, the Caddo Parish Republican Party, and the Bossier Republican Executive Committee. His time in Congress earned him an 85% on the score card for the far-right Heritage Action (Heritage Foundation’s political action committee).
As of March, he had campaign finance receipts totalling a little over $11.2 million—though in quarter 1 of 2026 he only raised $45,000. However, he seems to be self-financing much of his race.
His website doesn’t state what his campaign is actually about and there’s no stated vision for his goals as a senator. But there’s some insight into his views: In an interview in 2023 with Louisiana Illuminator he showed concerns over what materials were available in libraries and the vaccine mandates. Climate change also isn’t something he’s sold on, once saying, “It’s very unscientific to say we had a big rain so it was caused by global warming.” In his time in DC he pushed back on any attempts to address climate change, believing it to be “nonsense for us to waste money unnecessarily on so-called green energy fuel.” Fleming has stated he’s against carbon capture, though Governor Landry stated in a video that Fleming voted “six different times to fund and expand CCS [carbon capture and sequestration] projects.”
There isn’t much reporting on what Fleming has done while treasurer for the state, which isn’t shocking, as the position is not prone to making headlines. But what is known is that he suggested the state no longer do business with Bank of America due to their Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies because he believes they deny banking services to religious organizations, gun manufacturers, fossil fuel providers, and he has accused the bank of having a “left-wing agenda.” He proposed paying down the state’s debts with a surplus of cash, and in his time as treasurer, the department launched a K-12 transparency website, which allows people to see the finances of charter and public schools.
Throughout the race to replace Bill Cassidy, Fleming has taken shots at the Governor, Julia Letlow’s campaign, and clashed with Cassidy over his polling numbers. Fleming accused Governor Landry of working “behind the scenes” to get Letlow in the Senate, and called him a liar for accusing Fleming of supporting carbon capture projects. Fleming has claimed that former CDC official and Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham offered him a job at the CDC, which Fleming believes was an attempt to get him to drop out of the race, since Abraham is on Letlow’s campaign team. Fleming is also facing ethics complaints with a watchdog group saying he used government resources for his Senate campaign. This was not the first time he faced questions about his campaign tactics—during his 2008 congressional run, he would have employees of the Subway franchises he owned stuff customers’ sandwich bags with campaign literature.
Julia Letlow earned almost 45% of the vote in the primary election, despite her relatively low media presence. She nabbed endorsements from Jeff Landry and President Trump—but this has more to do with her loyalty to Trump than any of her actual qualifications. Her success in the primary may speak to this strong alliance.
Letlow, who holds a doctorate in communication, came on the scene after her husband died due to COVID in 2020. She ran for, and eventually won, her deceased husband’s congressional seat in Louisiana’s 5th U.S. Congressional District. She’s a former high ranking official at University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM), and also worked at Tulane University.
Letlow has stated she has “fought alongside President Trump” and has worked at “standing up for our parents, securing our borders, supporting law enforcement, rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse that drives up inflation, and fighting to fix an education system too focused on woke ideology instead of teaching.” In 2025, she raised a little over $1.4 million, and in quarter 1 of 2026 she has $2.7 million on hand, with $1.9 million raised in the same quarter.
Cassidy tried to paint Letlow as being “liberal” due to her past support of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in her bid to be president of ULM. DEI policies have become a point of derangement for the Republican base and politicians alike. Letlow, in a Facebook post of a Breitbart article—a website once run by far-right operative Steve Bannon—tried to flip the accusations of DEI support back on Cassidy.
The assertion that Letlow is liberal is asinine. For starters, her website’s home page shows a picture of her speaking at a March for Life conference. She voted for Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill which stripped millions of people of their healthcare coverage. She sports a 94% voter grade for 2025 from Heritage Action, the action committee of the far-right Heritage Foundation which led the charge on Project 2025. According to an archived page on Republican Accountability, she voted against the bipartisan committee meant to investigate the January 6th insurrection, voted against holding Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress, has a D rating on Republican Accountability’s “democracy” scorecard, and would later flip her stance on DEI, saying she saw firsthand how “it was hijacked by the radical left and turned into indoctrination.” She’s very loyal to the Republican party, having never voted against the party majority. She earned a $1 million donation from a PAC affiliated with the Make America Healthy Again movement—a movement filled with anti-vaxxers. The acceptance of this donation is more galling in the light of her husband’s death from COVID-19. The reasons for people who hold left-leaning policy positions to vote for her are non-existent, making claims she is liberal moot.
Summary: John Fleming doesn’t seem to have much to offer the state as a senator, and has spent much of his time sparring with his opponents and the governor instead of making his beliefs clear to voters. Julia Letlow shows she’s all about party loyalty, and currently isn’t an effective lawmaker. Consider which of these candidates you’d prefer to face the Democratic nominee if you are voting in the Republican runoff.
PSC District 1
Republican Party
Stephanie Hilferty
John Young
The Public Service Commission is a regulatory agency that oversees utilities in the state—electricity, water, natural gas, telecommunication, even towing companies. The politicians in this seat wield a tremendous amount of power that affects the daily lives of Louisianians, and they typically fly under the radar because it isn’t a very high profile race or office. We covered this office more thoroughly in a previous guide, and we encourage you to return to it to remind you why, especially now, it is important to pay attention to this office.
According to the conservative Pelican Institute for Public Policy, “base electric utility rates have increased by roughly 40 percent since 2018, with an additional 40 percent increase projected by 2030,” and that “two-thirds of Louisiana voters report higher electric and gas bills.”
District 1 covers Jefferson, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington parishes. This seat has been held by Eric Skrmetta—who helped pass one of the most restrictive net metering caps in the country (which provides retail rate remuneration for rooftop solar owners) and has been known to take large donations from the same utilities he regulates—since 2009. But he’s term limited, so it’s time for someone new.
Stephanie Hilferty is a “Conservative Republican” state representative or, as her campaign website puts it, “a portrait of grace in motion who drafts meaningful laws and brings smart ideas to life.” We’ve previously described her record as “despicable,” pointing to her votes against sanctuary cities, her support for a “heartbeat” abortion ban, and for a bill targeting trans students.
She told the Louisiana Illuminator that she sees part of her potential role on the PSC as protecting ratepayers from rising electricity costs and addressing lengthy storm recovery times. “Utilities are critical partners in powering our state, but the Public Service Commission works for the public,” she told the Illuminator. Hilferty also recently authored a bill, supported by New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno and all members of the City Council, that would give the Council more authority over the Sewerage and Water Board. AARP Louisiana named her its 2025 “Legislator of the Year,” citing her work to prevent the passage of a bill that would limit protections for nursing home residents.
Similarly, at the candidate forum hosted by the Pelican Institute, she said that’s especially important given that utilities are effectively monopolies, calling for a smooth dispute process for consumers faced with high bills. Her concerns also include the effects on consumers of new power demand from data centers and industrial facilities. “I think we’ve seen President Trump speak on this in saying they should be able to generate their power within their facility, and hopefully that will drive down rates for the ratepayers,” she said.
Hilferty’s ethics filing lists investments owned by Hilferty and her husband, including tech-related companies: chipmakers Nvidia, Broadcom, and Taiwan Semiconductor, as well as the surveillance company Palantir. The couple last year sold stock in Apple, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Tesla, Costco, and Walmart, according to the form. Hilferty is also a commercial real estate agent who “orchestrates market expansion strategies in Louisiana for a portfolio of national retailers, including Mattress Firm, My Salon Suites, HTeaO, and Salad & Go.” She was also involved in getting high-end lamp dealer Visual Comfort its storefront on Magazine Street (at the site of the former Harry’s Ace Hardware), providing residents a new upscale option for using that luxury-priced Entergy power.
Hilferty won about 28% of the vote in the first round of the Republican primary, according to secretary of state data. She points to endorsements from a list of elected officials including Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser and Louisiana Senate President Cameron Henry, along with the Orleans Parish Republican Executive Committee, Tangipahoa Parish Republican Executive Committee, and Greater New Orleans Republicans.
Attorney John Young is a former Jefferson Parish president, who the Times-Picayune reported presided over “a period of relative calm for Jefferson Parish politics” and whose tenure included the creation of a parish office of the inspector general. Before that, he served as an assistant district attorney and chief of the parish’s courts. “In a moment when the Public Service Commission demands steadiness, integrity, and a prosecutor’s eye for the truth, Louisiana can count on John Young,” according to his campaign website.
Young said at the Pelican Institute forum that he was motivated to run by the data center boom, saying big tech companies like Meta and Anthropic “need to pay for the infrastructure, and they need to pay for 100% of the costs, so that those burdens are not placed on existing ratepayers.” He also vowed to “hold the utility companies accountable to make sure that we’re getting the best price for what services they perform.” Young, according to his ethics disclosure form, currently runs his own business consulting company and law firm, though he said at the Pelican Institute event he intends “to be a full-time public service commissioner.”
On his campaign site, Young offers a 12-point plan for the PSC, including fighting “unjustified rate increases,” accelerating storm restoration, making utility rate increase matters easier to understand, providing bill assistance to “seniors, veterans, and struggling families,” expanding broadband connectivity, and requiring “artificial intelligence and large data centers fund their own power generation to protect ratepayers.”
Young won about 31% of the vote in the first round of the Republican primary, according to secretary of state data. He points to endorsements from the Republican Parish Executive Committees in St. Charles and Plaquemines parishes, as well as the Jefferson Parish Republican Party and St. Bernard Parish Republicans. He also claims endorsements from the AFL-CIO and the Louisiana Weekly.
Summary: Stephanie Hilferty is a conservative lawmaker who may have too much faith in Trump’s musings on data center costs. John Young is a former Jefferson Parish president who speaks of holding utilities accountable and ensuring tech companies pay their fair share. Consider which of these candidates you’d prefer to face the Democratic nominee if you vote in the Republican runoff.
BESE District 1
Republican Party
“Joseph” Cao
Ellie Schroder
This district includes much of St. Tammany Parish, as well as portions of Orleans, Jefferson, and Tangipahoa parishes, as shown on the official BESE district map. Joseph Cao is the incumbent in this race and earned 47% of the votes in the primary race. He is currently serving in a temporary capacity on BESE, nominated to the office by Governor Jeff Landry in January to replace Paul Hollis, who was selected as director of the U.S. Mint in January. Based in Harvey, Cao is a one-time U.S. congressman (2009-2011), who is currently a practicing senior attorney at the Cao Law Firm, as well as an adjunct professor at Tulane and Loyola Universities and a guest lecturer at LSU Health Science Center. During his time in Congress, Cao was the only Republican to vote for Obama’s healthcare reform bill (though once it came back to the House after making its way through the Senate, he did withdraw support, saying he did not believe it contained sufficient language to prevent federal funding of abortion). Since his initial and only term in Congress, Cao has unsuccessfully lost several other races, including his bid for reelection, a race for attorney general (from which he withdrew) and a race for U.S. senate, and an appeals court judgeship. He has served on several public charter school boards, as well as the Louisiana Board of Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Cao supports Governor Landry’s LA GATOR “school choice” accounts, a voucher system that redirects money from public schools to private, often religious, schools. Cao also lists the bullet point of “Protecting girls’ sports and girls’ privacy” on his campaign website, buying into a particularly transphobic tenet of current Republican derangement.
Ellie Schroder is a former teacher and school administrator at the St. Tammany School Parish Board, where she worked from 2008 to 2015 in different capacities. She earned 31% of the votes in the primary race. Schroder’s resume cites experience in curriculum development, school improvement planning, teacher development programs, and other related things. Schroder is also a licensed residential contractor who has owned and operated construction companies since 2006. Schroder is married to John M. Schroder, a former state representative and state treasurer, in whose political campaigns and finances she was an active participant (he is now involved in her campaign as well). Schroder is a member of the Northshore Home Builders Association and the East. St. Tammany Business Alliance. She received the Jefferson Parish GOP endorsement. Her resume cites that she intends to “advocate for policies that promote student success, improve school safety, and enhance teacher development and continue to support the positive outcomes that have recently been achieved across the state.”
Summary: Joseph Cao is a lawyer, professor, and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who is sometimes willing to vote against his party. While she has also never held political office, Ellie Schroder, as a career teacher and school administrator, has the most experience with the Louisiana school system. Consider which of these candidates you’d prefer to face the Democratic nominee if you vote in the Republican runoff.
Orleans Parish Ballot Measures
Garden Dist. Security Dist.
19 Mills – CC – 8 Yrs.
Shall the City of New Orleans be authorized to impose and collect an annual fee not to exceed nineteen mills (subject to the homestead exception) on each parcel of land located within the Garden District’s Security District (“District”), delineated by La. R.S. 33:9091.2(B) as the area bounded by and including both sides of Carondelet Street, Jackson Avenue, Magazine Street, and Louisiana Avenue, for eight (8) years, beginning January 1, 2027 and ending December 31, 2034, which fee (estimated to be $852,000 in the first year of collection) shall be set by the resolution of the District board of commissioners and used exclusively, subject to a 1% City collection fee, to promote and encourage security within the District?
The Garden District Security District (GDSD) provides armed security patrols, including by off-duty NOPD officers, “within the boundaries of Louisiana Avenue, Carondelet Street, Jackson Avenue and Magazine Street (both sides of all streets).” Its financial statements indicate its funding mostly goes to security operations, including “patrol and security services,” “patrol extra,” “enhanced security program,” and “camera project.” Other expenses include various administrative expenses, insurance, the district website, and so forth.
That website helpfully informs Garden District residents that the district cannot provide dedicated security for private parties and that its officers “are not allowed to perform personal tasks such as bringing in the groceries or walking the dog.” But despite those limitations, the district has operated since 1998, and it’s asking voters to renew its funding for another eight years. As we’ve said before—as recently as last month, in fact—these security districts dotted across the city raise questions of equity, receiving additional policing services based on residents’ ability and willingness to pay special property taxes.
Additionally, research by the City Office of the Inspector General in 2013 found districts with dedicated security patrols seem to have lower rates of property crime than elsewhere in the city, but the districts don’t seem to have a significant effect on violent crime or murder rates within their borders.
Such districts arguably can also play a role in New Orleans segregation, reinforcing norms about who belongs where. In 2021, another security district was sued after officers allegedly stopped and pulled guns on a group of young Black people driving slowly down a potholed street, even after they advised the officers they were looking for a lost dog. According to court documents, the officers allegedly justified the stop in part based on the fact that the BMW the group was traveling in was registered in New Orleans East, far from the Uptown neighborhood where they were stopped. ACLU of Louisiana Justice Lab lawyers for Bilal Hankins, one of the people in the car, referred to the stop as “classic racial profiling” in a court filing. The officers have disputed parts of the young people’s account, including an allegation they pulled guns on the group. Hankins’ case was dismissed but the ACLU successfully appealed, and the case is once more before the New Orleans-based federal court.
Summary: Say no to privatized police.
Lake Forest Estates Imp. Dist.
$550 Parcel Fee – CC – 7 Yrs.
Shall the City of New Orleans levy an annual fee on each parcel of taxable real property located within the Lake Forest Estates Improvement District (“District”), the boundaries of which are coterminous with those of the Lake Forest Estates Subdivision, in the amount of $550, for seven years, beginning January 1, 2027 and ending December 31, 2033, which is estimated to generate $99,000 annually, to be used exclusively for the purpose of promoting and encouraging the beautification, security, and overall betterment of the District, except for a 1% City collection fee, and provided that, if used to fund additional law enforcement or security personnel and services, such personnel and services shall be supplemental to and not in lieu of those provided by the New Orleans Police Department?
The Lake Forest Estates Improvement District shares borders with the Lake Forest Estates subdivision in New Orleans East and, according to state law, is “managed by the Lake Forest Association’s Board of Directors.” There’s no record of a Louisiana Secretary of State-registered organization called the “Lake Forest Association,” so we assume that means the Lake Forest Estate Improvement Association, Inc., the local homeowners’ association.
“For more than 48 years, our Board Members have remained committed to protecting the interests of Lake Forest Estates Subdivision by representing only one point of view; namely, the interest of the homeowners in Lake Forest Estates,” the group reports on its website. Its governing documents, which would presumably specify how the board is elected, appear to be only available online to registered residents of the subdivision. A page titled “District Officials and Contacts” only provides contact information for people and agencies dealing with wildlife nuisances, including someone listed simply as “Marcus, Raccoon Trapper.”
The Improvement District, by law, “is established for the primary object and purpose of promoting and encouraging the beautification, security, and overall betterment of the Lake Forest Estates Subdivision.” In practice, it appears to spend most of its money on security: As of its most recent financial statement, covering 2024, it spent $75,122 on security, out of total expenditures of $90,384. The next highest spending figure was $4,615 for maintenance.
An undated page of survey results on the Improvement Association website includes several complaints about security, including lack of visible patrols, “windows darkened, no engagment [sic] if even hello,” and “Security detail could improve. Noticed sleeping in car.”
Summary: Say no to privatized police.
Election Info
The deadline to request a mail ballot is June 23 by 4:30 p.m (other than military and overseas voters).
The deadline for the registrar of voters to receive a mail ballot is June 26 by 4:30 p.m. (other than military and overseas voters).
Early Voting
Early voting for this election begins on June 12 and ends on June 20, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m, excluding Sunday, June 13 and Friday, June 19.
Saturday election day voting hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
City Hall
RM 1W24; 1300 Perdido St. 70112
Algiers Courthouse
RM 105; 225 Morgan St. 70114
Voting Machine Warehouse
8870 Chef Menteur Highway 70127
Lake Vista Community Center
6500 Spanish Fort Blvd. 70124
This voter guide is offered without cost as a service to our beloved readers, but donations are accepted to help cover research fees and labor. A suggested donation of whatever your lifestyle considers $10 is appreciated. Payments can be made via Venmo or PayPal to @antigravitymag (all one word, no dashes). Please include “Voter Guide” or “VG” in the comment or memo.
If donations aren’t your thing, you can also support ANTIGRAVITY simply by signing up for our monthly newsletter—which includes early access to each issue and other info—at the top of our home page.
This voter education guide is published primarily as a resource and does not constitute an endorsement of any candidate or proposition by ANTIGRAVITY Magazine.
AI was not used to write or compile any portion of this voter guide.
