In an effort to ramp up excitement at the secretary of state debate, held last week, Jean Armstrong, of the sponsoring League of Women Voters of Louisiana, reminded the audience that the occupant of the office “is only two heartbeats away from being governor.” She tried, anyway. The candidates themselves, incumbent Tom Schedler and Speaker of the House Jim Tucker, did their best to elucidate how each would make the most difference. But on their views concerning the most important duty of the office, conducting fair and honest elections, it was difficult to tell the difference. They agreed that Louisiana elections are run well, though we could do with fewer of them each year; that the 14-hour polling day, the longest in the nation, should be shortened; that the locations for early voting should be increased; and that the time for Internet voting has not yet come. That left state museums and corporate records—8% of the office, with respect to the budget—for the two to argue over, plus “Ol’ Reliable,” the character issue. Read the full column here.
(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at lapolitics.com.)
