The Voice of Louisiana, Part I (Statewide races)

Last night, Louisianians chose their statewide officials, legislators, and local elected officials. What was the will of the voter ? We will answer this question by examining the results for the various offices. For each type of office, we will analyze what happened/what the voters said. [...]

October 2011 Election Preview (Part 2 of 2)

In our previous analysis, we assessed the statewide races and discussed projected voter turnout. In this article, we will discuss what to look for on Election Night, and we will briefly touch on some legislative races. [...]

October 2011 Election Preview (Part 1 of 2)

Primary election day in Louisiana is less than 72 hours away. On the ballot this year are the statewide races, all eight elected seats for BESE (Board of Elementary and Secondary Education), all 144 legislative seats, and a myriad of local races. What is our assessment of these races? [...]

Early voting concludes in Louisiana – October 2011 edition

The general election is now six days away. In person early voting has concluded (although mail in ballots can still be accepted until Friday). We have been following the the early voting numbers, and what we’ve noticed so far is as follows: [...]

2011 Elections “Kickoff” – First day of Early Voting

Early voting for Louisiana’s October 22 statewide primary started yesterday and will continue until next Saturday (mail in ballots will still be accepted until the day before Election Day). From examining early voting statistics provided to us by the Secretary of State, there are several things we noticed: [...]

JMCEL’s projection of statewide voter turnout

In our last article, we raised the issue of projected turnout for the October 22 elections by noting that early voting volume, as well as the demographic mixture of the early voters, could paint a turnout portrait before the Secretary of State issues its turnout projections. [...]

2011 Elections, October 3 Edition

In our previous installment, we discussed the upcoming elections within and without Louisiana that will be held in October and November. In this article, we will focus only on October elections. [...]

JMCEL’s “Pulse of Louisiana” Poll

Recently, JMC Enterprises of Louisiana was commissioned by the Hayride to poll Louisiana voters on their preferences in the Lt Governor and the Secretary of State’s race. The Hayride has done a complete writeup here; the actual poll is here.

Turnout and why it matters

One of the most misunderstood areas of election analysis is the impact that turnout intensity (or lack thereof) can have on a race. For Louisiana elections, turnout intensity is most noticeable when you look at the extent to which whites and blacks vote. One of the oldest truisms in Louisiana electoral politics is that whites turn out proportionately more than blacks do. In this article, we would like to use examples both at the statewide and legislative level to illustrate how this truism impacts (or can impact) elections. [...]

2011 Elections, September 21 Edition

 In our previous installment, we analyzed the twin victories for the GOP in two special Congressional elections. In both cases, the “Obama plunge” (explained here) resurfaced – it was a 9 point plunge in New York, while in Nevada, the plunge was 13 points. These types of dilutions in Democratic support, if they continue, will be ominous for President Obama as he seeks to get re-elected next year. [...]