Louisiana voters approved seven of ten proposed constitutional amendments Tuesday, adopting changes to gubernatorial term limits, criminal justice procedures and property-tax exemptions while rejecting three proposals that would have given state and local governments additional flexibility over taxes and public finances.
The results represented another significant round of changes to Louisiana’s frequently amended Constitution, which has been revised more than 220 times since taking effect in 1975. Half of the measures on Tuesday’s ballot involved property taxes, while the remaining proposals addressed issues ranging from judicial discretion and public retirement debt to drinking-water infrastructure.
The most popular proposal was Amendment 1, which allows surviving spouses of certain disabled veterans to transfer an additional property-tax exemption when moving to another qualifying home. It passed with more than 74% support.
Amendment 3, prohibiting post-conviction bail for defendants convicted of aggravated offenses against children, received nearly 68% support, while Amendment 7, allowing public funds to be used to replace hazardous drinking-water lines on private property, passed with approximately 65%.
Voters were less receptive to three other proposals. Amendment 5, which would have changed how the state pays down retirement-system debt, faced the strongest opposition, with more than 62% voting against it. Amendments 2 and 10, both involving local property taxes, also failed.
The votes leave Louisiana with several new constitutional provisions, although some approved measures will still require action by local governments or voters before their practical effects are realized.
Voters impose lifetime term limits on Louisiana governors
One of Tuesday’s most politically significant results was the approval of Amendment 4, which received 55.9% support and fundamentally changes the state’s gubernatorial term-limit system.
Previously, Louisiana governors were limited to serving two consecutive four-year terms but could seek the office again after sitting out a term. The new amendment effectively makes the two-term limit a lifetime restriction by prohibiting anyone who has served more than six years as governor from being elected again.
The change affects former governors Bobby Jindal and John Bel Edwards, both of whom served two full terms, and will eventually apply to current Gov. Jeff Landry if he serves more than six years.
While rumors had persisted throughout 2026 that Edwards was mulling a comeback bid in 2027, neither Jindal nor Edwards had formally announced plans to seek another term. Now, the amendment closes a constitutional avenue that previously allowed former governors to return to office.
The measure received 801,160 votes in favor and 631,352 against.
New restrictions on bail after convictions involving children
Amendment 3 passed with 67.8% support, removing judges’ discretion to grant post-conviction bail to defendants convicted of aggravated offenses against minor children.
Under existing law, judges already had authority to deny release to people convicted of serious crimes, particularly when they presented a danger to the public or a risk of fleeing. The amendment goes further by establishing an outright prohibition for qualifying offenses, including certain aggravated sexual offenses and violent crimes involving minors.
The restriction applies after conviction, including situations in which a defendant is awaiting sentencing or appealing a conviction. It does not eliminate the broader right to pretrial bail for people who have not been convicted.
Supporters argued that the measure provides additional protections for children and victims’ families, while critics of categorical bail restrictions have raised concerns about removing judicial discretion and applying uniform rules to cases with different circumstances.
The amendment received 972,108 votes in favor and 461,710 against.
Voters approve funding flexibility for lead water-line replacement
Amendment 7 cleared the ballot with 65.3% support, providing a constitutional exception that allows public funds to be used to identify, remove and replace certain hazardous drinking-water service lines, including portions located on private property.
The change is particularly important for New Orleans, where officials have sought to use approximately $152 million in federal funding to replace lead-contaminated water lines.
Louisiana’s Constitution generally prohibits the donation of public resources for private purposes, creating legal concerns about whether government-funded replacement work could extend onto privately owned property.
The amendment addresses those concerns by expressly permitting qualifying water-line improvements.
Its approval does not itself replace the affected pipes or guarantee that every property will receive new service lines. Local utilities and governments must still carry out the projects, and New Orleans faces a much larger infrastructure challenge than the federal funding alone can address.
The measure received 924,321 votes in favor and 492,210 against.
Property-tax relief receives mixed results
Five of Tuesday’s ten amendments involved property taxation, but voters did not respond to all five in the same way.
Amendment 1 passed with 74.3% support, allowing surviving spouses of deceased veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities to transfer an additional homestead property-tax exemption once to another primary residence.
Previously, surviving spouses generally had to remain in the same home to retain that additional exemption. The change is expected to affect relatively few households. A legislative fiscal analysis identified 229 surviving spouses who claimed the existing exemption in 2025.
Amendment 6 also passed, receiving 63.6% support. It allows parishes and municipalities to establish additional property-tax exemptions for qualifying homeowners age 65 and older.
Unlike some of the other measures, the amendment does not automatically provide a new tax break statewide. Local governments must first pursue the additional exemption, and voters in the affected jurisdiction must approve it.
Amendment 9 received 58.2% support, increasing the income threshold for qualifying homeowners to receive a special property-tax assessment freeze from $100,000 to $150,000.
The assessment freeze prevents increases in the assessed value of an eligible primary residence for property-tax purposes. Qualifying groups include older homeowners, certain disabled veterans, people with permanent disabilities and eligible surviving military spouses.
The measure expands eligibility for that existing protection rather than eliminating property taxes or freezing every part of a homeowner’s tax bill.
Two other property-tax proposals were rejected.
Amendment 2 failed with 58% voting against it. The measure would have allowed local taxing authorities to maintain lower property-tax millage rates without losing the ability to increase them to previously authorized maximum levels after future reassessments.
Supporters argued that the change could reduce pressure on local governments to raise rates prematurely. Opponents warned that it would create uncertainty for taxpayers by preserving the ability to increase property-tax rates later without another public vote.
Louisiana voters rejected a similar proposal in 2022.
Amendment 10 also failed, with 53.2% voting against it. It would have allowed local governments to offer property-tax exemptions as incentives for rehabilitating blighted or derelict properties.
The proposed incentives could have reduced taxes on a portion of the assessed value of renovated properties for an extended period, potentially encouraging investment in neglected buildings and vacant lots.
Its defeat means local governments will not receive that proposed constitutional authority, although existing redevelopment programs and other incentives remain available.
Retirement debt proposal rejected
Amendment 5 received the strongest opposition of any proposal on Tuesday’s ballot, with 62.4% voting against it.
The measure would have given Louisiana greater flexibility in deciding how to apply certain nonrecurring state revenues toward unfunded liabilities in public retirement systems.
Under existing constitutional rules, qualifying dollars must be directed toward the oldest outstanding retirement debt first. The amendment would have allowed retirement systems to apply those funds to other unfunded liabilities instead.
Supporters viewed the proposal as a way to provide greater flexibility in managing pension obligations. Opponents favored maintaining the existing payment requirements rather than allowing the state to change the order in which retirement debts are addressed.
With the amendment’s defeat, the current constitutional requirement remains in place.
Foreign adversaries prohibited from expropriating property
Amendment 8 passed with 62.1% support, prohibiting foreign adversaries of the United States, or their agents, from exercising the power of expropriation over property in Louisiana.
Expropriation is the legal authority to take private property for a public purpose, generally with compensation to the owner.
The amendment places a constitutional restriction on that authority when exercised by governments designated as foreign adversaries.
Louisiana already has statutory restrictions on property ownership and acquisition involving certain foreign governments. The new amendment adds another constitutional safeguard, although there is no documented instance of a designated foreign adversary attempting to exercise expropriation powers in Louisiana.
The measure received 876,953 votes in favor and 534,925 against.
What happens next
The approval of seven amendments adds another round of revisions to Louisiana’s Constitution, but the immediate effects will vary considerably.
The gubernatorial term-limit amendment establishes a new restriction on eligibility for future elections. The post-conviction bail amendment changes the constitutional rules governing certain convicted defendants, while the water-line amendment removes an obstacle to using public funds for qualifying infrastructure work.
Other measures, particularly the additional property-tax exemption for older homeowners, will require further local action before residents see any benefit.
The rejected proposals leave existing constitutional provisions in place, including the rules governing retirement-system debt payments and local property-tax millage adjustments.
The election also continues Louisiana’s longstanding practice of asking voters to decide highly specific tax and administrative policies through constitutional amendments.
While the seven approved proposals address a wide range of issues, their passage reflects the continued expansion of a state constitution that contains detailed provisions governing matters handled through ordinary legislation in many other states.
And with several of Tuesday’s measures leaving additional decisions to local governments, voters may not have cast their last ballots on some of these questions.
