ENROLLED
ACT No. 546
2018 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 351
BY REPRESENTATIVE JENKINS AND SENATOR BISHOP
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 18:1333(A), (B), (C)(2), and (D), relative to the nursing home
3 early voting program; to provide relative to the requirements for eligibility to
4 participate in the program; to provide relative to the requirements for making
5 application to participate in the program; and to provide for related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 18:1333(A), (B), (C)(2), and (D) are hereby amended and reenacted
8 to read as follows:
9 ยง1333. Nursing home early voting program; voting by persons residing in a nursing
10 home
11 A. For purposes of this Section, the term "nursing home" shall have the
12 meaning ascribed to it in R.S. 40:2009.2(1)(3) and, with respect to a person with a
13 physical disability who resides in a hospital for an extended period of time by reason
14 of a physical disability that makes it improbable that he will be able to vote in person
15 at the polls on election day or during early voting, the term also shall mean a
16 hospital. "Nursing home" for the purpose of this Section shall also mean a veterans'
17 home, operated by the state or federal government, where a person, with a physical
18 disability who is unable to vote in person at the polls or during early voting because
19 of a physical disability, resides.
20 B. A qualified voter who resides in a nursing home within the parish in
21 which he is entitled to vote and who is unable to vote in person at the polls on
22 election day or during early voting as otherwise provided by this Code due to a
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1 physical disability may vote early as provided in this Section during the period
2 extending at least one week prior to the beginning day for early voting through the
3 last day for early voting established by R.S. 18:1309.
4 C. The following voters shall be eligible to vote pursuant to this Section:
5 * * *
6 (2) A voter who is a resident of a nursing home who provides to the registrar
7 of voters current proof of disability from a physician along with a certification from
8 the physician voter which indicates that by reason of the voter's disability the voter
9 is a resident of the nursing home unable to appear in person to vote either during
10 early voting or at the polling place on election day.
11 D.(1) A voter qualified to vote under this Section shall make application in
12 writing to vote pursuant to this Section to the registrar of voters by letter. An
13 application to vote as provided in this Section shall be submitted to and received by
14 the registrar of voters at least thirty days prior to the election. Such request
15 application may be submitted by mail, commercial carrier, or hand delivery. The
16 request application shall be submitted over the voter's signature or mark if the voter
17 is unable to sign his name, signed by the registrar, deputy registrar, or one witness;
18 provide the name of the voter and the address of the nursing home; and if qualified
19 pursuant to Paragraph (C)(2) of this Section, provide current proof of disability from
20 a physician along with a certification from the physician voter which indicates that
21 by reason of the voter's disability the voter is a resident of the nursing home unable
22 to appear in person to vote either during early voting or at the polling place on
23 election day.
24 (2) Upon receipt of a valid request, the request shall serve as an application
25 to vote pursuant to this Section. The An application to vote in the nursing home
26 early voting program as provided in that satisfies the requirements of this Section
27 shall remain valid indefinitely unless the voter submits a written request to the
28 registrar to be removed from the program or the voter no longer resides in the
29 nursing home listed in his application. However, if the voter has become a resident
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1 of a different nursing home in the parish and has notified the registrar of voters in
2 writing of the change of nursing home address, his application shall remain valid.
3 * * *
4 Section 2. This Act shall become effective January 1, 2019.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
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