RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
HB 138 2021 Regular Session Farnum
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.
Proposed law would have retained present law and required each registrar of voters to
annually conduct a supplemental canvass to identify voters who have moved and need to
update their voter registration to their current addresses. Would have provided procedures
for identifying such registrants, including mailing address confirmation cards. Further would
have provided for such registrants to be placed on the inactive list of voters until the
registrant confirmed that the address on the confirmation card was correct. Would have
required the registrar to transfer the voter's registration information to the parish of residence
if the voter had moved to a different parish. Would have required the registrar to cancel the
registration if the voter had moved to a different state.
Present 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 would have required biannual publication of the list of inactive voters in a
newspaper.
(Proposed to amend R.S. 18:196(A)(1) and (D); proposed to add R.S. 18:192.1)
VETO MESSAGE: The registrar of voters in every parish is already required to do an
annual canvas of all registered voters under current law. The "supplemental annual canvas"
provided for in this bill is repetitive and unnecessary. It further provides for a significant
unfunded mandate on the Secretary of State.