Ballot initiatives around the South

I ran across an interesting article about elections and ballot initiatives in Louisiana. Folks down there love to hold elections, and they loves them some Constitutional Amendments even more:

We have already had four election dates this year, and guess what? We still have three more elections to go. And what little interest there was seems to be waning. The forty percent turnout being ballyhooed by elections officials a few weeks ago could well drop in the 30 percent range.

What about all of these constitutional amendments? Are any of them really necessary? There are thirteen constitutional amendments on the ballot this Saturday, with eight more to go on the November ballot. That means the 1974 Louisiana Constitution has been amended 127 times so far, and we still haven’t gotten it right.

Thirteen amendments on the ballot? Reading through them, you have to wonder how long it's going to take to vote, even for informed voters who study up on them ahead of time. You also have to wonder if the state legislators are too worn out from Katrina to legislate so they're letting the voters do it for them.

Other Southern states have ballot initiatives, too. Eminent domain is a popular issue, with Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina all weighing in. (And Louisiana has no less than three questions relating to eminent domain, if I count correctly.)

Here in Tennessee, we will vote on an anti-gay marriage amendment, along with an amendment that allows local governments to freeze property taxes for seniors. Tennessee is joined by South Carolina and Virginia in voting on "defense of marriage" amendments. (Virginia's amendment modifies Article I of the state's Constitution, which is entitled the "Bill of Rights". Go figure.)

If I'm not mistaken, these three states are the last Southern holdouts, with Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas having already passed their anti-gay marriage amendments. [Ed. Note: We are reminded that North Carolina is another Southern state that has not passed an anti-gay marriage amendment, and that it has failed in three straight legislative sessions.]

The anti-gay marriage amendments are widely seen as a right-wing ploy to get out the conservative vote. Some say Ohio's 2004 amendment may have been a factor in that state deciding the presidential election. The stakes aren't quite as high this time around, but there is at least one Senate race (in Tennessee) where it could be a factor.

GOP election mechanics might be surprised, however. There are plenty of Democrats who will vote for this in Tennessee, including our Democratic Governor (who is up for reelection and expected to win in a landslide). He recently said "the only question is whether it will pass by 90% or 92%." Perhaps some previously disenfranchised-feeling Dixiecrat Democrats will come out to vote for the amendment, and vote a straight 'D' ticket while they're at it out of sheer orneriness.