This month will be the third time in recent history when voters in what is now state House District 93 chose their representative in a special election called to fill a midterm vacancy. Each time, a very small number of voters showed up to make that important decision on behalf of all voters in the district.
That can change.
The last elected lawmaker to represent the district, , won the House seat in a special election in March 2018.
That off-year election looked very much like the upcoming March 25 special election in New Orleans: a couple of special judicial primaries — one for Civil District Court Division B and one for Criminal District Court Division A — and a District 93 special primary, which Duplessis won outright. The citywide turnout in 2018 was a paltry 13.5%. In House District 93, it was no better: 13.6%.
Duplessis replaced City Council Vice President Helena Moreno, who ran for the House seat in another special primary on May 1, 2010. The district turnout in that contest was 9.2%. Her May 29, 2010, special election runoff saw an even lower turnout of 8.9%.
In this year's Feb. 18 special primary, but That pushed the race to a March 25 runoff. Last month's primary was held in the middle of the last big weekend before Mardi Gras and produced what's likely a record-low turnout for a legislative contest: a measly 6.1%.
"The special election was scheduled at the absolute worst time," said John Couvillon, a political data analyst and president of JMC Analytics and Polling in Baton Rouge.
True dat.
Early voting for the March 25 ballot starts this Saturday and continues through the following Saturday, March 18. All New Orleans voters can vote in the judicial primaries. If no one gets a majority on March 25, the top two judicial candidates will go to an April 29 runoff — the third local election in a few short weeks. District 93 voters will choose between Sibil "Fox" Richardson and Alonzo Knox to continue the strong legacy of District 93 representation.
All three Orleans races are important, and each deserves voters' attention. All voters should make time to learn the differences and similarities among the candidates.
That's particularly true in light of District 93's legacy of influential lawmakers who go on to do great things for New Orleans and Louisiana.
Dutch Morial represented the district as the first Black state legislator since Reconstruction and later became the Crescent City's first Black mayor. Morial's departure from the Legislature led to the election of the state's first Black female legislator, Dorothy Mae Taylor, a community activist who later became a City Council member. Taylor led the effort to desegregate Carnival krewes parading on public streets. Civil rights leader Avery Alexander was elected in 1975 and served six terms. There were other trailblazers along the way.
The district is "incredibly historic for the legacy," Duplessis told me. He cited Alexander, Morial and Taylor as examples.
Though the district lines have changed over the decades as population shifts required new boundaries, Duplessis said much of the . A big part of Uptown. Central City. The Central Business District. Treme. The French Quarter. The Lower Garden District. The Superdome and the Smoothie King Center.
"It's important because of the economic and cultural significance," he said.
When others asked Duplessis which area of the state he represented, he often answered, "It's probably the place you visited most when you're in New Orleans."
Duplessis continues to be disappointed in recurring low-turnout elections, especially in his old House district. "Thirteen percent is also unacceptable," he added, referring to the turnout when he won the District 93 seat in 2018. "It's abysmal considering what had to be done to get voting rights."
In the years since Dutch Morial won the seat in 1967, District 93 has been majority Black, but the size of its Black majority has shrunk as redistricting changed its boundaries. Today, District 93 is 51% Black, with gentrification intensifying.
Low voter turnout isn't specific to Orleans Parish. It happens across Louisiana and the nation. That doesn't make it acceptable. It is not.
District 93 has had strong leaders. It's time for the district's voters to show leadership. I know they can at least double the primary's horrible 6% turnout, and it would be a good thing to hit 15% or 20%.
That's still not good enough, but it would be a good start.