Editing Ascension Parish, Louisiana (section)

==Law, government and politics==
{{PresHead|place=Ascension Parish, Louisiana|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=February 16, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|41,319|20,113|1,041|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|40,687|20,399|1,239|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|36,143|16,476|2,059|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|33,856|16,349|868|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|31,239|14,625|707|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|24,661|13,955|484|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|16,818|13,385|641|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|10,885|15,263|3,252|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|10,275|13,036|4,437|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|10,726|12,147|367|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|11,945|11,048|177|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|7,238|12,381|581|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|4,435|9,100|443|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|5,187|3,324|1,010|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|1,338|3,203|6,004|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|3,197|4,879|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|1,012|5,689|909|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|1,853|2,606|76|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|1,787|3,593|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1948|Dixiecrat|433|1,126|1,424|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|364|2,291|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|385|2,451|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|350|2,359|1|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|279|1,800|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|436|1,402|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|277|679|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|496|622|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|106|531|61|Louisiana}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|64|413|147|Louisiana}}

On March 8, 2017, Ascension Parish President Kenneth Paul "Kenny" Matassa (born September 12, 1949), a Republican,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Home/Home?uid=4430|title=Kenneth Matassa, September 1949|publisher=[[Louisiana Secretary of State]] [[Tom Schedler]]|access-date=March 13, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> along with Olin Glenn Berthelot (born August 1948), a Democratic<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Home/Home?uid=4430|title=Olin Berthelot, August 1948|publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State|access-date=March 13, 2017}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  businessman from Gonzales, faced [[indictment]] in an attempted [[bribery]] scheme. The pair is charged with encouraging a candidate to withdraw from a local election on November 8, 2016.

The [[grand jury]] released its [[true bill]] to Judge Tess Stromberg of the 23rd Judicial District Court in Ascension, [[Assumption Parish, Louisiana|Assumption]], and [[St. James Parish, Louisiana|St. James]] parishes. Among those who testified in the case were Democratic Gonzales City Council member Neal Bourqueat. Matassa and Berthelot allegedly bribed the Democrat A. Wayne Lawson with offers of money and a government job to drop out of the city council race in Division E against Bourque,<ref name="indictment" /> who nevertheless won reelection with 61 percent of the ballots cast.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Graphical|title=Official Results: Ascension Parish|publisher=[[Louisiana Secretary of State]] [[Tom Schedler]]|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref>

Matassa and Berthelot turned themselves in to authorities and posted a $5,000 bond. Reports, meanwhile, surfaced of a move before the parish council calling for Matassa to resign. He cannot be forced from the office, however, unless convicted of the crime. Matassa and Berthelot could have received up to two years in state prison either with or without hard time and/or a fine of $2,000.<ref name="indictment">{{cite news|url=http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_9a93369e-058c-11e7-ac43-6f6e1133b12d.html|title=Ascension Parish President Kenny Matassa, Gonzales businessman indicted in bribery scandal|date=March 10, 2017|author=David Mitchell|newspaper=[[The Advocate (Louisiana)|The Baton Rouge Advocate]]|access-date=March 13, 2017}}</ref> Matassa was instead acquitted in July 2018 of the election bribery allegations and returned to his duties as parish president with a legal cloud lifted from his shoulders.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_9e172662-86e7-11e8-9aa9-af3841459c0b.html|newspaper=The Baton Rouge Advocate|title=Ascension Parish President Kenny Matasse acquitted in bribery trial: 'I believe in the legal system'|date=July 14, 2018|author=David Mitchell|access-date=July 25, 2018}}</ref>