HLS 21RS-677 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 138
BY REPRESENTATIVE FARNUM
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
VOTING/REGISTRATION: Provides for a supplemental annual canvass of registered
voters
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 18:196(A)(1) and (D) and to enact R.S. 18:192.1, relative to the
3 annual canvass of persons registered to vote; to provide for a supplemental annual
4 canvass of persons registered to vote; to provide relative to an inactive list of voters;
5 to provide for updating voter registration information; to provide for an effective
6 date; and to provide for related matters.
7Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 18:196(A)(1) and (D) are hereby amended and reenacted and R.S.
918:192.1 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §192.1. Supplemental annual canvass
11 A. Each year, once the registrars have sent address confirmation cards as set
12 forth in R.S. 18:192(A)(2), the Department of State shall conduct the supplemental
13 annual canvass set forth in this section.
14 B. The purpose of the supplemental annual canvass is to identify other voters
15 who have moved and need to have their voter registration applications reflect their
16 current addresses and who did not do so in the annual canvass.
17 C. The secretary of state shall identify, from information available in the
18 state voter registration computer system, the following voters:
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HB NO. 138
1 (1) Voters whose addresses were not verified or corrected in the annual
2 canvass and who were not sent an address confirmation card pursuant to R.S.
3 18:192(A)(2).
4 (2) Voters who have not voted in an election in the past ten years.
5 (3) Voters who failed to engage in any of the following activities in the past
6 ten years: make an application for voter registration, to receive an absentee ballot,
7 to change a name, address, or party affiliation or nonaffiliation, or any other change
8 in registration, or to participate in the nursing home program.
9 D. The Department of State shall send to the voters so identified a
10 "supplemental address confirmation card" and place the voter on the inactive list of
11 voters.
12 E. For the purposes of this Section, "supplemental address confirmation
13 card" means a postage prepaid and pre-addressed return card, sent by forwardable
14 mail. The Department of State is responsible for developing the supplemental
15 address confirmation card and shall submit it to the House Committee on House and
16 Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental
17 Affairs for review. The department is also responsible for informing the registrant
18 about his voting rights under the supplemental address confirmation process.
19 F. If the registrant responds to the supplemental address confirmation card
20 and has not moved or has moved within the parish, the registrar shall remove the
21 person's name from the inactive list of voters if it is on the inactive list and correct
22 the voter's address if necessary.
23 G.(1) If the voter responds to the supplemental address confirmation card
24 and has permanently moved to a different parish, the registrar shall transfer the
25 voter's registration information to the parish of residence.
26 (2) If the voter responds to the supplemental address confirmation card and
27 has permanently moved outside the state, the registrar shall cancel the voter's
28 registration.
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HB NO. 138
1 H. A voter on the inactive list of voters who fails to respond to the
2 supplemental address confirmation card shall remain on the inactive list of voters
3 until his address is confirmed in accordance with the procedures set forth in R.S.
4 18:196 or not later than a period of two regularly scheduled federal general elections,
5 at which time the registrar shall cancel the voter's registration.
6 I. A list of names and addresses to whom supplemental address confirmation
7 cards are sent and whether or not each person responded to the confirmation card
8 shall be maintained for a period of two years and shall be open to inspection and
9 copying as provided in R.S. 18:154. Ninety days prior to a regularly scheduled
10 federal primary election, the names and addresses of those persons on the inactive
11 list shall be published for one day in the official journal of the parish governing
12 authority or in a newspaper calculated to provide maximum notice in the parish.
13 * * *
14 §196. Inactive list of voters; procedure for voting
15 A.(1) In addition to the official list of voters, there shall be an inactive list
16 of voters which shall consist of registrants who have been mailed an address
17 confirmation. or a supplemental address confirmation card. The names of registrants
18 on the inactive list of voters shall not be counted in computing the number of ballots
19 required for an election, the number of voters required to divide or constitute a
20 precinct, the number of signatures required on any petition, the number of
21 commissioners at a precinct pursuant to R.S. 18:425, the number of voting machines
22 to be allocated and used in each voting precinct pursuant to R.S. 18:1363, or the
23 number of registered voters necessary to recognize or determine the organization of
24 a political party or committee.
25 * * *
26 D. If a registrant who has failed to respond to an address confirmation card
27 or a supplemental address confirmation card and whose name appears on the inactive
28 list of voters does not vote in any election from the date he is placed on the inactive
29 list of voters until the day after the second regularly scheduled general election for
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1 federal office held after such date, the registrar shall cancel the registration of the
2 registrant.
3 Section 2. This Act shall become effective on April 1, 2022.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 138 Original 2021 Regular Session Farnum
Abstract: Creates a supplemental annual canvass of registered voters
Present law (R.S. 18:192) requires each registrar of voters to annually canvass the names of
persons registered to vote. Provides procedures for verifying the names and addresses of
such registrants. Provides procedures and requirements for correction and cancellation of
registrations in conjunction with the canvass. Provides that the registrar of voters shall
annually canvass the names of the registrants in all precincts in the parish no later than June.
Proposed law retains present law and requires each registrar of voters to annually conduct
a supplemental canvass to identify voters who have moved and need to update their voter
registration applications to their current addresses and who did not do so in the annual
canvass. Provides procedures for identifying such registrants, including mailing address
confirmation cards. Further provides that such registrants shall be placed on the inactive list
of voters until the registrant confirms that the address on the confirmation card is correct.
Provides that the registrar shall transfer the voter's registration information to the parish of
residence if the voter has permanently moved to a different parish. Provides that the registrar
shall cancel the voter's registration if the voter has permanently moved to a different state.
Proposed law provides that a voter's registration shall be canceled after a period of two
regularly scheduled federal general elections if the voter fails to respond to the confirmation
card. Further provides that a list of names and addresses to whom confirmation cards are
sent and whether or not each person responded to the confirmation card shall be maintained
for a period of two years and shall be open to inspection.
Proposed law requires biannual publication of the list of inactive voters in a newspaper.
Effective April 1, 2022.
(Amends R.S. 18:196(A)(1) and (D); Adds R.S. 18:192.1)
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