To say that is important to vote in the November 3^rd elections goes without saying. After all this election will determine who will be elected into offices ranging from the President of the United States to who will serve as a local Justice of the Peace or Alderman.

There is another section of the ballot that is also vitally important to Louisiana residents as well and that is the seven constitutional amendments and a proposition that will be voted on. These cover key and often controversial issues such as abortion, sports betting, property value and taxes, disaster aid, budget restrictions and manufacturing exemptions for taxes.

Often times the way an amendment is worded makes it hard to understand exactly what a vote for or against means. See below for each amendment as stated and what a yea or nay vote would mean.

Amendment 1: Do you support an amendment declaring that to protect human life, a right to abortion and the funding of abortion shall not be found in the Louisiana Constitution?

1. Yea Vote: State that nothing in the Constitution protects a right to abortion
2. Nay Vote: Leave the Constitution with no specific language on abortion

Amendment 2:  Do you support an amendment to permit the presence or production of oil or gas to be included in the methodology used to determine the fair market value of an oil or gas well for the purpose of property assessment?

1. Yea Vote: Allow for a well’s oil and gas production when valuing it for property tax assessment.
2. Nay Vote: Keep the current methods of oil and gas well assessment

Amendment 3:  Do you support an amendment to allow for the use of the Budget Stabilization Fund, also known as the Rainy Day Fund, for state costs associated with a disaster declared by the federal government?

1. Yea Vote: Allow the Budget Stabilization Fund to be tapped when there is a federally declared disaster.
2. Nay Vote: Continue to restrict use of the Budget Stabilization Fund to revenue shortfalls.

Amendment 4:  Do you support an amendment to limit the growth of the expenditure limit for the state general fund and dedicated funds and to remove the calculation of its growth factor from the Constitution?

1. Yea Vote: Create a new state budget spending limit with probable slower growth.
2. Nay Vote: Continue the current method for an expenditure limit.

Amendment 5:  Do you support an amendment to authorize local governments to enter into cooperative endeavor ad valorem tax exemption agreements with new or expanding manufacturing establishments for payments in lieu of taxes?

1. Yea Vote: Provide new options for manufacturers and local governments to schedule payments instead of property taxes for industrial expansions.
2. Nay vote: Leave the current system as the only set of options for property taxes, payments or exemptions for manufacturers. 

Amendment 6:  Do you support an amendment to increase the maximum amount of income a person may receive and still qualify for the special assessment level for residential property receiving the homestead exemption?

1. Yea Vote: Allow homeowners with higher incomes to qualify for the property tax assessment freeze.
2. Nay Vote: Keep the current income threshold for property tax freezes.

Amendment 7:  Do you support an amendment to create the Louisiana Unclaimed Property Permanent Trust Fund to preserve the money that remains unclaimed by its owner or owners?

1. Yea Vote: Protect unclaimed property money in a new trust fund.
2. Nay Vote: Keep the current program that benefits the state general fund.

Proposition:  Shall sports wagering activities and operations be permitted in the parish of ______?

1. Yea Vote: Permit sports wagering in the voter’s parish.
2. Nay Vote: Forbid sports wagering in the voter’s parish.