Louisiana ballot measure · November 3, 2026
Louisiana Amendment 3, explained
No post-conviction bail for aggravated offenses against a minor. A ballot measure is a yes-or-no question put directly to voters — no candidate is involved, and the wording on the ballot is the wording that becomes law. This page shows that wording first, then what it actually changes.
The official wording
Do you support an amendment to prohibit a defendant from being released on any post-conviction bail if the defendant is convicted of an aggravated offense against a minor child? (Adds Article I, Section 18(C))
This is what appears on the ballot. Everything below explains it.
What it actually means
In Louisiana someone convicted but not yet sentenced has a right to bail if the maximum sentence is five years or less, and a judge may grant bail if it is more. This amendment would remove that possibility entirely for people convicted of an aggravated offence against a child — including offences such as rape, sexual battery, kidnapping and human trafficking — so they would stay in custody while appealing.
If you vote YES
- A new Article I, Section 18(C) would prohibit release on any post-conviction bail for a defendant convicted of an aggravated offence against a minor child.
- People convicted of those offences would remain in custody through sentencing and appeal, with no judicial discretion to release them on bail.
- The rest of Article I, Section 18 would be unchanged for other offences: a right to bail after conviction and before sentence where the maximum is five years or less, and judicial discretion above that.
- Louisiana would be one of four states voting on bail-related amendments in 2026, alongside Alabama, Indiana and Tennessee.
If you vote NO
- Judges would continue to apply the existing rules when deciding whether someone convicted of an offence against a child may be released on bail pending sentencing or appeal.
- The constitutional right to post-conviction bail for maximum sentences of five years or less would continue to apply to these offences as to others.
- No new category of automatic detention would be written into the Declaration of Rights.
Why supporters say YES
We found none published in the sources reviewed.
Why opponents say NO
We found none published in the sources reviewed.
What’s genuinely uncertain
- No committee has registered on either side and Ballotpedia has located no arguments for or against, so none are presented. Listed supporters include the sponsor Rep. Debbie Villio (R), Attorney General Liz Murrill (R) and the Louisiana Fraternal Order of Police; the Power Coalition's guide notes, without naming anyone, that critics may argue it limits judicial discretion before appeals are complete.
- The amendment relies on "aggravated offense against a minor child," which is defined in statute rather than in the amendment; which offences are covered could change if the Legislature changes that definition.
- No fiscal note or estimate of how many people would be affected was located.
The bottom line
Whether people convicted of aggravated crimes against children should be barred from bail outright while they appeal, or whether that should remain a judge's decision case by case.
One neutral sentence describing the tradeoff — not a recommendation.
Checking it against the official text
The Louisiana Secretary of State publishes the certified measures and, in most states, an official voter guide with fiscal notes. That is the authoritative version. Everything here is an explanation of it, not a substitute for it.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Louisiana Secretary of State.
Other measures on the Louisiana ballot
- Amendment 1 — Transferring a disabled veteran's surviving spouse property tax exemption
- Amendment 2 — Letting local governments lower a millage and later restore it
- Amendment 4 — Lifetime two-term limit for governor
- Amendment 5 — Which pension debt one-time state money must pay down first
- Amendment 6 — Additional property tax exemption for homeowners 65 and older
- Amendment 7 — Public money to replace lead and other hazardous water lines on private property
- Amendment 8 — Barring foreign adversaries from expropriating property
- Amendment 9 — Raising the income limit for the senior assessment freeze to $150,000
- Amendment 10 — Property tax exemption for rehabilitated blighted property
Candidates on the same ballot
- U.S. Senate election in Louisiana
- Louisiana's 1st congressional district
- Louisiana's 2nd congressional district
- Louisiana's 3rd congressional district
- Louisiana's 4th congressional district
- Louisiana's 5th congressional district
- Louisiana's 6th congressional district