Calvin Duncan
Calvin Duncan (Democratic Party) is running for election for Orleans Parish Criminal Court Clerk in Louisiana. He is on the ballot in the primary on October 11, 2025.[source]
Duncan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Calvin Duncan was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He earned a bachelor's degree from Tulane University in 2018 and a law degree from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2023. His career experience includes working as an advocate.[1]
Elections
2025
See also: City elections in New Orleans, Louisiana (2025)
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
General election
The primary will occur on October 11, 2025. The general election will occur on November 15, 2025. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Orleans Parish Criminal Court Clerk
Incumbent Darren Lombard, Calvin Duncan, and Valencia Miles are running in the primary for Orleans Parish Criminal Court Clerk on October 11, 2025.
Candidate | ||
| Darren Lombard (D) | ||
 | Calvin Duncan (D)  | |
| Valencia Miles (Unaffiliated) | ||
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Endorsements
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Campaign themes
2025
Video for Ballotpedia
| Video submitted to Ballotpedia Released September 11, 2025 |
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Calvin Duncan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Duncan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I finally won my freedom in 2011 and exonerated in 2021. I obtained my B.A. from Tulane University and my J.D. from Lewis & Clark. I also received an honorary law degree from Loyola.
I founded the Light of Justice, a project that informs incarcerated people of legal deadlines and helps them access the courts. One of my main jobs is tracking down their court records. I have gone to Clerk's Offices all over this state to retrieve records, and none are as dysfunctional as the Orleans Parish Clerk's Office. We have the busiest criminal court in the state and the highest wrongful conviction rate in the nation, yet don’t even have a digital filing system.
I am committed to making the court more accessible, efficient, and fair - because I know how much is at stake.- Court records aren’t just pieces of paper; they’re people’s lives. When people don’t have access to records, innocent people can’t get back into court, prosecutors can’t move cases, and victims can’t get closure. That’s why I was heartbroken to see records end up in the landfill under the current Clerk’s watch. We need a Clerk who understands the importance of records and evidence.. As Clerk, I will properly preserve and digitize all records and introduce online filing. The incumbent has had four years to accomplish that - and he hasn't done it. I won't make excuses because I know that people’s lives are at stake.
- The Clerk's Office should be accessible to the community it serves. The current Clerk’s Office does not have online filing or digitized records, meaning people must physically go to the Clerk’s Office during limited business hours. That’s difficult for working people and impossible for incarcerated folks. I will make records available online and provide online filing so that victims, defendants, and members of the public can access the court at any time of day. I will also provide more information to the public about how to navigate the court system - particularly considering the stress that many courthouse visitors are facing. My office will meet the people we serve where they’re at.
- Elections are the cornerstone of our democracy - and as Chief Elections Officer, the Clerk of Court manages all elections for our parish. Given the real threats to our democracy right now, it is imperative that the Clerk run transparent elections that are free, fair, and fully secure. As Clerk, I will ensure that all election procedures are run smoothly. I will publicize accurate and current information about voter registration deadlines, early voting and election dates, and polling locations. I will also recruit and train enough poll workers to work our elections, long before the elections occur. And I will defend the integrity and security of our elections in any arena that I must to protect our right to vote.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
See also
2025 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on September 26, 2025
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