2024 elections coverage: Live updates from Louisiana
Voters across Louisiana headed to the polls to cast ballots in the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
In addition to voting for president, Louisianans will vote on a number of measures and key races, including one that could change the balance of power in Congress.
WWNO and WRKF will be following the results closely as they come in, and providing live coverage throughout the night.
Use our guide to help you prepare for the big night, and keep track of election results in real time with interactive live maps on WWNO.org and WRKF.org. The maps will become available when the results start coming in.
Baton Rouge mayor's race upset
Political newcomer and Republican Sid Edwards received 34% of the vote for mayor-president of East Baton Rouge, while Democratic incumbent Sharon-Weston Broome garnered 31%. The two will face each other in a runoff election on Dec. 7.
Ted James, a favorite to win in many late polling predictions, was eliminated after receiving 28% of votes.
‘Workers’ Bill of Rights’ approved
New Orleans will add an amendment to its charter that lists fair wages, comprehensive health care coverage, paid leave and other workplace benefits as fundamental rights for the city’s workforce after voters approved the measure on Tuesday.
Over 80 percent of voters favored the move.
The language is largely a symbolic values statement, supporters say. Employers in the city won’t be bound by it because the city’s charter doesn’t create any enforceable rights beyond what's required under the U.S. Constitution.
Trump wins the White House
Donald Trump was elected as the 47th president of the United States on Wednesday.
He is the first person convicted of a felony to win the White House and the first former president to regain power since 1892.
The victory marks an extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, faced dozens of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts.
He will be joined in the new administration by his vice president, Ohio Sen. JD Vance. At 40, Vance will become the highest-ranking member of the millennial generation in government.
Housing trust fund
New Orleans is poised to see a massive influx of taxpayer funding for local affordable housing projects after voters approved a charter amendment during Tuesday’s election.
Over 75 percent of the city voted “yes” on the amendment, handing supporters an easy victory.
The approval green lights new language for the city’s charter that orders the city council to create a new trust fund dedicated to affordable housing projects. At least 2 percent of the city’s annual budget will go into the fund starting in 2026.
Trump on verge of clinching presidency
Donald Trump is on the verge of clinching the presidency Wednesday after winning Pennsylvania, putting him just three electoral votes shy of defeating Kamala Harris to secure his return to the White House.
A victory in Alaska or any of the outstanding battleground states — Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona or Nevada — will send the Republican former president back to the Oval Office.
Public Service Commission race
State Sen. Jean-Paul Coussan of Lafayette will become one of Louisiana’s top utility regulators after beating out two other candidates vying for office.
Three candidates ran for the open seat on the Public Service Commission after incumbent Commissioner Craige Green decided not to run for re-election. Green has served on the commission for eight years.
The five-member Louisiana Public Service Commission is charged with ensuring public utilities across the state provide safe, reliable and “reasonably priced” service. The powerful agency is one of the least known across the state, despite how much it shapes residents’ lives.
Amendment 1 results
Louisiana voters approved an amendment asking them if revenues from offshore alternative energy should go towards coastal restoration and protection.
The yes vote on the amendment means federal money from the emerging offshore alternative energy industry, which is primarily wind, will go into that same fund for the coast. A no vote would have put the money into the state’s general fund, which is spent how the legislature chooses.
Newcomer unseats New Orleans school board member
KaTrina Chantelle Griffin will represent Algiers and parts of the Marigny, Bywater and French Quarter on New Orleans' school board, while the other seat up for grabs heads to a runoff.
The board's seven spots were up for re-election, but only two races were contested. All of the candidates were Democrats.
Griffin, who a pro-charter school group backed, beat Donaldo Batiste with 60% of the vote. She fundraised over $63,000, nearly three times as much as Batiste.
AP Race Call: Donald Trump wins Georgia
Former President Donald Trump won the swing state of Georgia on Wednesday, returning its 16 electoral votes to the Republican column.
Joe Biden narrowly carried Georgia in 2020, but Republicans have won every other Georgia presidential vote since 1996. Trump tried to overturn his 2020 loss in Georgia, setting off a political and legal struggle that led to his indictment in the state.
While the state has two Democratic U.S. senators, Trump's victory proves Georgia still has a Republican bent. Six candidates appeared on Georgia ballots, but votes for Claudia De la Cruz and Cornel West weren't counted.
The Associated Press declared Trump the winner at 12:58 a.m. EST.
Fields expected to win House seat
State Sen. Cleo Fields is expected to win Louisiana's 6th Congressional District race.
At midnight Wednesday, Fields had 51% of the vote against fellow Democrat Quinten Anderson and former Opelousas Sen. Elbert Guillory with all precincts reporting, according to the Secretary of State's website. AP has yet to call the race.
Clay Higgins wins reelection
Republican Rep. Clay Higgins won reelection to a U.S. House seat representing Louisiana on Tuesday.
Higgins has represented southwest Louisiana's 3rd Congressional District, a Republican stronghold, since 2016. He is a member of the staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus and an avid supporter of Donald Trump.
Higgins objected to certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election based on the false belief that voter fraud cost Trump victory. Before launching his political career, Higgins rose to prominence as an outspoken Louisiana law enforcement officer known for his viral, tough-on-crime videos.
The Associated Press declared Higgins the winner at 9:07 p.m. CT.
Update on presidential race
Former President Donald Trump is currently leading the presidential race with 120 electoral votes.
As of 8 p.m. CT Tuesday, Trump had won Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Florida, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska , North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, according to AP.
So far, Harris has won Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Illinois and New York, picking up 99 electoral votes.
First calls are in
Results are coming in for the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
As of 7:20 p.m. CT, Trump had 95 electoral votes and Harris had 35.
Both candidates need 270 to win the presidency.
James Carville on 2024 election
Whenever there's an election, there's one Louisiana political strategist we like to catch up with: James Carville. The “Ragin Cajun” has been keeping a close watch on the 2024 presidential election, and was one of the first well-known Democrats to call for Biden to drop out of the race.
Carville spoke with Louisiana Considered's Alana Schreiber about his thoughts on the race. First, they discussed the recent documentary about his life. "Winning is Everything, Stupid“ digs into Carville's childhood, how he changed the nature of presidential campaigns, and why he has remained loyal to the Democratic party through all its changes.
Our election coverage
Election Day is finally here, and voters across Louisiana will decide on a number of key races, including the race for president and one that could shift the balance of power in Congress.
WWNO and WRKF will be following the results closely as they come in, and providing live coverage throughout the night.
We'll have coverage from NPR, starting at 7 p.m. CT and updates from our reporters in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, beginning at 8 p.m. CT Tuesday evening on 89.9 FM and 89.3 FM.
New Orleans voters head to polls
New Orleans voters took to the polls on Tuesday to help decide on the presidential race and a number of local races and key measures.
Louisiana saw record turnout for in-person early voting ahead of Nov. 5, including over 80,000 people in Orleans Parish, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Enthusiasm was high outside of polling places Tuesday morning.
“I've been given the right to vote as a citizen of the United States, and I want to exercise that right and cast my ballot for the person that I want to support,” said Connie Williams, who cast her ballot inside of International School of Louisiana’s Olivier campus.