Louisiana Could Ban Felons From Holding Public Office For 5 Years After Serving Time
Vote to see how others feel about this issue
What the Referendum Does
Amendment 1 would amend the Louisiana Constitution to prohibit convicted felons, unless pardoned, from seeking or holding a public office until five years after the completion of their sentence.
In Favor
A waiting period before felons are allowed to seek or hold public office is needed to ensure that they’ve truly reformed. Louisiana currently has a reputation for corrupt government, and keeping felons out of office is an important step towards reforming that reputation.
Opposed
There’s no federal ban on felons seeking office — and there shouldn’t be one at the state level, either. Once someone has completed their sentence, they’ve paid their debt to society and should be allowed to participate in normal civic life, including seeking public office.
In-Depth
Supporters of Amendment 1 argue that those in public office need to be held to a higher standard, and prove over the five-year waiting period that they’ve readjusted to society. They add that this measure reaffirms what voters wanted in 1998. Sen. Conrad Appel (R-Metairie), the legislative sponsor of this amendment, argues that this measure is necessary to restore integrity to Louisiana’s government:
“Our state has this terrible reputation for corruption. When an elected official takes an oath to the people of Louisiana they have an obligation… I have no sympathy for [felons]. They need to stay away from political life for a while."
There is no organized opposition to Amendment 1. However, those who’ve expressed opposition to it argue that felons should be eligible to run for or be appointed to public office once they’ve completed their sentence. They add that someone’s fitness to serve in public office should be determined by the voters, and point out that there’s no prohibition on felons seeking federal office.
Up until January 27, 2016, Amendment 9 barred convicted felons from seeking or holding public office for 15 years following the completion of their sentences. On January 27, 2016, the Louisiana State Supreme Court struck down Amendment 9 down due to an error in the official ballot text.
Amendment 1 made it to the ballot after the Louisiana legislature approved it with bipartisan votes of 70-24 in the House and 31-0 in the Senate.
Summary by Lorelei Yang
(Photo Credit: iStockphoto.com / Chris Ryan)
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