Title: Louisiana Keynotes Oct 2022

Original CoS Document (slug): [[https://conventionofstates.com/files/louisiana-keynotes-oct2022|louisiana-keynotes-oct2022]]

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Attached File: Louisiana_Keynotes_October_2022_(2).pdf

Created: 2022-10-15 21:30:10

Updated: 2023-10-14 23:00:00

Published: 2022-10-27 14:00:00

Converted: 2025-04-14T20:07:25.625652528


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mericans have 

come to 

expect the 

power of  

government 

to reign 

down from the 

top. We think of it as 

similar to a monarchy, 

with the President as 

authority #1, then our 

Congress, followed 

by the court system. 

The state government 

then falls beneath the 

federal, and local 

government least of 

all.

In reality, this 

is almost exactly 

backwards. Our 

Constitution begins 

with, “We the People,” 

setting the citizens 

as the sovereign. The 

name of our nation is, 

“The United States of 

America.” This sets the 

individual states as the 

mechanisms through 

which the people 

govern themselves, and 

the nation as a union 

of states.

Returning to a 

government closest 

to the people, we find 

school boards. How 

many of us know who 

sits on our school 

board, representing us 

in the administration 

of the resources, 

and policies of our 

schools?

How many of us know 

what is required of 

our children in the 

classrooms, and on 

the school campus in  

general?

Recently, Mr. Ryan 

Thames protested 

sexually explicit books 

in the children’s section 

of the Livingston Parish 

Public Library. He asked 

that they be moved to 

the adult section.

Can you guess how his 

request was handled?

Gateway Pundit’s 

Christopher Alexander 

wrote of this issue in 

his article,  

“Louisiana Republican 

Leaders Muted By The 

Leftist Cabal”

“The books’ content is 

so graphic that it had 

to be redacted from a 

local news article, and 

no media outlets have 

seen fit to publish the 

actual material. What 

makes the situation 

even more alarming is 

that the books were not 

accidentally placed in 

the kids’ section, they 

were intended for their 

consumption. In any 

other setting besides 

a public library, an 

adult who provided 

the material at 

issue to a child 

would likely 

be arrested.” 

https:%%//%%www.

thegatewaypundit.

com/2022/09/

louisiana-

republican-

leaders-muted-leftist-

cabal/

The first question that 

comes to my mind 

is, who intended this 

material to be made 

available to children, 

and why?

This reminds me of 

audio clips that I’ve 

heard from school 

board meetings 

throughout our nation, 

where parents have 

been shouted down, 

and disciplined for 

reading excerpts from 

the very books that had 

been assigned to their 

children.

These parents have been 

denied the opportunity 

to read aloud to adults 

material that has 

been  made available 

or assigned to their 

children by public 

school administrators. 

Can you guess why they 

have been restrained 

from reading it?

They 

have 

been 

told that it 

is due to the 

pornographic nature 

of the material. This 

is being done by those 

that are employed 

to protect and 

educate these young, 

impressionable minds 

in public libraries and 

schools throughout 

our nation, state, and 

communities.

As of the writing of 

Mr. Alexander’s article, 

the only Louisiana 

legislator supporting 

this objection to public 

libraries’ behavior is 

Rep. Valarie Hodges.

Louisiana Association 

of School Librarians 

President, Amanda 

Jones, had filed suit 

against Mr. Thames 

and Michael Lunsford, 

founder of the 

watchdog advocacy 

group Citizens for a 

New Louisiana. The suit 

was dismissed by a 

Livingston Parish Judge.

Are Louisiana State tax 

resources being 

used against 

citizens, while 

introducing 

pornography 

to minors 

(criminal 

activity) at the 

same time?

Can this travesty 

really be coming to 

our schools, and/or 

libraries?

Parents in Virginia 

began realizing the 

threats to their children 

during the virtual 

schooling of the 

Covid lockdowns. As a 

result, the citizens of 

Virginia have almost 

completely replaced 

their government.

Whether we believe that 

their replacements will 

be faithful or successful 

in correcting these 

problems, the social and 

emotional well-being of 

our children is at risk.

It is of utmost 

importance who 

controls our school 

systems, and who has 

intimate access to our 

children.

Do you know who 

represents you and 

your children on your 

school board? If not, 

perhaps this would be 

a good time to become 

acquainted with who 

the candidates are for 

these positions in the 

upcoming election.

Dave Landry

State Content Writer



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**Louisiana’s Trek to Paper Ballots and COSLA Support**

ouisiana’s voting 

systems have been 

highly regarded 

for election integrity. 

The Heritage Foundation 

ranks Louisiana ninth in 

the nation on its Election 

Integrity Scorecard, which 

compares each state’s election 

laws and regulations.  \\
**(https:%%//%%www.heritage.org/\\
electionscorecard/index.\\
html)**

However, Louisiana is in the 

midst of a transformation 

with its election systems. \\
**Secretary of State Kyle \\
Ardoin** has reported for a few 

years that the aging voting 

machines we’ve been using 

need replacement. He and 

his staff twice attempted to 

issue requests for proposals 

to voting machines vendors, 

but political resistance led to 

stopping the process.

Then in the 2021 legislature, \\
**Secretary Ardoin **joined 

with state senator **Sharon \\
Hewitt** to support and pass a bill \\
**Act 480, **which defined general 

parameters for the next voting 

system, and **COSLA **heavily 

supported this legislation. \\
**Act 480 **created a Voting 

System Commission to make 

recommendations for the next 

voting system.

The key change is that 

Louisiana is going to paper 

ballots as the official tally of 

election results.  Act 480 of the 

2021 legislature specifically said 

the new voting system, //**“shall **//

//**produce an auditable voter-**//

//**verified paper record.” **// This 

is an election integrity measure 

Louisiana has not had in my 

lifetime. The record must be 

on //**“paper,”**// and many of us 

have never voted with paper. 

The voter must be able to verify 

his or her vote, which means 

typically the voter must be able 

to look at the ballot and verify 

that the votes on the ballot 

are accurate.  

Finally, that filled-in ballot 

must be //**“auditable,” **//meaning 

it can be checked if necessary. 

//**In essence, the paper ballot is **//

//**the official vote, not the count **//

//**coming off a machine. **//

There is significant evidence 

that electronic voting machines 

are not trustworthy. Secretary 

Ardoin himself publicly 

lambasted Dominion Voting 

Machine representatives over 

their failure to advise Louisiana 

of the compromises reported in 

the Georgia litigation. 

None of the criticism of 

electronic systems is a criticism 

of the parish Clerks of Courts 

and Registrars of Voters who 

conduct elections on the 

ground in Louisiana.  

**Dale Clary **serves as **COSLA \\
Legislative Liaison**. 

He was a member of the 

//**Secretary of State’s Voting **//

//**Systems Commission.**//

//**Dale Clary**//



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I remember hearing 

people complain about 

politics and their 

concerns about our 

country when I was a 

child. Even in the late 

1980’s, many people 

were concerned about 

where the country was 

heading. 

The year that President 

Clinton ran, my school 

participated for the first 

time in a mock election 

for the students. The 

library at the school 

was set up as a polling 

place. We went in with 

our IDs and were given 

the chance to cast our 

votes for president. I 

don't remember who I 

voted for but I remember 

the activity and the 

discussions that went 

with it. Some of my 

fellow classmates told 

the teacher that their 

parents didn//**’**//t vote 

because their vote didn//**’**//t 

matter anyway. Even 

as a child I knew that 

thinking was wrong.

But wait-look what 

happened in the last 

couple of elections with 

the //Electoral College// 

vs the //Popular Vote//. 

The Electoral College 

was included in the 

Constitution to keep the 

large population cities/

states from running over 

the smaller population 

states.

I would like to look 

closer to home. We 

are in the midst of  

the campaigns for 

midterm elections. In 

this election cycle the 

Electoral College is not 

in play, so table that 

issue. Right now in 

the upcoming election \\
**EVERY **vote will be 

counted, and **EVERY** 

vote counts. This is your 

chance to have input 

on who will make the 

important decisions that 

will affect your everyday 

lives. Remember that 

just because you don’t 

like who got elected, 

doesn//**’**//t mean that your 

vote doesn//**’**//t matter. 

//**My grandfather once **//

//**told me, “If you **//

//**don’t vote you can't **//

//**complain.”**//

//**Bethany Coker**//

//**State Communications **//

//**Coordinator**//

//** **//



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**You can also contact your local Clerk of Court’s office for information about Election Commissioners.**

//**Information about becoming an Election Commissioner is available at the Secretary of State’s website. **//

www.sos.la.gov

//**In the search box type “Election Commissioner”**//

**To Serve as a Commissioner\\
//  //**

//**You must:**//

//**     •**//  Be a qualified voter or a 17 year-old U.S. citizen       

           (enrolled in 12th grade) able to handle the duties       \\
           of a commissioner 

//**      •**//  Attend the general course of instruction          

    

 

 for new commissioners and pass the open book test 

//**  You will be **//

//**Paid:**//

//**      •**//  $200, if you attend the required pre-election class

      

//**•**//  $100, if you miss the required pre-election class

**To Serve as a Commissioner-in-Charge\\
//  //**

//**Qualifications:**//

//**     •**// Must have worked at least 2 elections in 

          the last 4 years       

          

//**      •**//  Must be proficient in all commissioner responsibilities

//**      •**//  Must attend a //**yearly**// course of instruction for    

 

 

       Commissioners-in-Charge\\
      

//**•**//  Must pass an open book test

//**  You will be **//

//**Paid:**//

//**      •**//  $250, if you attend the required classes and handle one    

 

 precinct

      

//**•**//  $350, if you  attend the required classes and handle a    

   

 consolidated precinct 



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** Paid for by Convention of States Action, President Mark Meckler**

**5850 San Felipe, Ste. 580A, Houston, TX 77057 Phone: (540) 441-07227 **

//**Not authorized by any candidate or committee or in support of, **//

//**or opposition to, any candidate, committee or proposition.**//

**FOLLOW US: **

//**Interested in signing the petition, getting involved or joining one of our Teams?**//

//**For more information go https:%%//%%conventionofstates.com**//

KeyNotes** //is published periodically //**

//**by **//**Convention of States Action Louisiana. **

**Newsletter Team includes:**

//**Julie Sandifer - State Director **//

//**Bethany Coker - State Communications Coordinator**//

//**Newsletter Editor & Designer - Glenda Hardey**//