#PutHousingFirst Candidate Scorecard Ranks State Representative Candidates on
Their Commitment to Affordable Housing
Saturday, March 25th, is Run-Off Election Day for New Orleans voters living in State Representative District 93. Voters across Central City, the CBD, and French Quarter into the Upper Ninth Ward will elect a new representative to fill the seat vacated by Royce Duplessis when he was elected to the state senate.
While the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance does not officially endorse any political candidates, GNOHA releases the #PutHousingFirst Candidate Scorecard as an indicator of a candidate’s concern, or lack thereof, regarding affordable housing. We encourage voters to consider the #PutHousingFirst scorecard as they go to the polls on Saturday, March 25th.
What do our grades mean?
Our finalized grades are calculated based on the responses we received from our questionnaires as well as an interview score given to each candidate. Final grades are not an endorsement. Rather, our scorecard is meant to inform voters of where candidates stand on affordable housing issues.
Candidates who submitted completed questionnaires but did not participate in an interview could not surpass a maximum of a 71% C based on their questionnaire responses. Candidates who failed to respond or complete their questionnaires received a 0% F.
Incumbents who completed their questionnaires and interviews were also held to a review of how their time in office either promoted or hindered the preservation and production of affordable housing in Orleans Parish.
How It Started
In 2017, the Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance (GNOHA) developed the first #PutHousingFirst Platform outlining the needs for New Orleans residents along with public policy recommendations to meet those needs. #PutHousingFirst released their first Candidate Scorecards that same year for both the municipal election and general election in New Orleans.
#PutHousingFirst continued to provide voters with Candidate Scorecards in the 2018 election for Congressional District 93 Representative. For the November 2018 election, #PutHousingFirst began including ballot initiative analyses into their scorecards to breakdown how constitutional amendments or propositions impact affordable housing development. These efforts carried on into the 2019 election and accompanying Parishwide Propositions and continue with every election where housing is on the ballot.
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