HLS 24RS-1974 ORIGINAL
2024 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 900
BY REPRESENTATIVE WYBLE
CONGRESS: Provides relative to the disclosure of certain information related to candidates
for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives
1 AN ACT
2To amend and reenact R.S. 18:463(A)(1)(a) and 551(E) and to enact R.S. 18:492(A)(8) and
3 551(F), relative to elections for United States senator or representative in congress;
4 to require additional disclosures in a notice of candidacy; to provide additional
5 grounds for objection to candidacy; to provide for certain ballot disclosures; to
6 provide an effective date; and to provide for related matters.
7Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 18:463(A)(1)(a) and 551(E) are hereby amended and reenacted and
9R.S. 18:492(A)(8) and 551(F) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §463. Notice of candidacy; campaign finance disclosure; political advertising;
11 penalties
12 A.(1)(a)(i) A notice of candidacy shall be in writing and shall state the
13 candidate's name, the office he seeks, the address of his domicile, his telephone
14 number, his electronic mail address, and the parish, ward, and precinct where he is
15 registered to vote. The candidate shall list on the notice of candidacy the name of
16 the political party if he is registered as being affiliated with a recognized political
17 party, "other" if he is registered as being affiliated with a political party that is not
18 a recognized political party, or "no party" or an abbreviation thereof if he is
19 registered with no political party affiliation. No candidate shall change or add his
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HB NO. 900
1 political party designation, for purposes of printing on the election ballot as required
2 by R.S. 18:551(D), after he has qualified for the election.
3 (ii) In addition to the requirements of Item (i) of this Subparagraph, a notice
4 of candidacy for a candidate for United States senator or representative in congress
5 shall state the candidate's age as of the date of commencement of the term of office
6 which he seeks, his citizenship as "natural born" or as "naturalized" and his date of
7 naturalization, if applicable, and whether he is currently an inhabitant of the state and
8 has been continuously domiciled within the state during the year prior to filing.
9 * * *
10 §492. Grounds for an objection to candidacy
11 A. An action objecting to the candidacy of a person who qualified as a
12 candidate in a primary election shall be based on one or more of the following
13 grounds:
14 * * *
15 (8) The defendant falsely certified on his notice of candidacy for United
16 States senator or representative in congress that any of the following are true and
17 correct:
18 (a) His domicile as of the date of qualifying.
19 (b) His domicile for the year prior to the date of qualifying.
20 (c) His age as of the date of commencement of the term of office which he
21 seeks.
22 (d) His citizenship as "natural born" or as "naturalized" and his date of
23 naturalization, if applicable.
24 * * *
25 §551. Ballots
26 * * *
27 E. Candidates for United States senator or representative in congress. The
28 following information shall be listed on the primary and general election ballot for
29 candidates for United States senator or representative in congress:
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HB NO. 900
1 (1) The age of the candidate as of the date that he would assume office upon
2 election shall be listed immediately following the candidate's political party
3 designation in substantially the following form "Age: [insert age range in XX-YY
4 format based on entire term of the office sought] during term of office".
5 (2) The citizenship designation of the candidate shall be listed immediately
6 following the candidate's age disclosure. The citizenship designation shall state
7 "Citizenship established [list birth year for natural born citizens or year of
8 naturalization for naturalized citizens]". If the candidate is not a U.S. citizen, he
9 shall not appear on the ballot for United States senator or representative in congress.
10 (3) Information about the candidate's inhabitancy in the state during the prior
11 year shall be listed immediately following the candidate's citizenship designation. If
12 the candidate has been domiciled in the state for a year prior to qualifying, the words
13 "Habitant of Louisiana during the year prior to qualifying." shall be placed after his
14 citizenship designation. If the candidate has not been domiciled in Louisiana for the
15 entire year prior to qualifying, the words "Not a habitant of Louisiana within the year
16 prior to qualifying." shall be placed after his citizenship designation.
17 (4) The secretary of state shall promulgate and adopt rules as necessary to
18 effectuate the provisions and purposes of this Subsection.
19 F. Uniformity. The names of the candidates shall be listed on the ballot in
20 type of uniform size and style. The spaces between the names of the candidates for
21 each office shall be uniform, and the names of the candidates for one office shall be
22 separated from the names of candidates for another office by sufficient space to
23 avoid confusion. All propositions and constitutional amendments shall be listed on
24 the ballot in type of uniform size and style.
25 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
26signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
27by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
28vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
29effective on the day following such approval.
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HB NO. 900
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 900 Original 2024 Regular Session Wyble
Abstract: For elections for U.S. senator or representative in congress, requires additional
disclosures in a notice of candidacy, provides additional grounds for objection to
candidacy, and to provide for certain ballot disclosures.
Present law requires the notice of candidacy for any candidate to be in writing and state the
candidate's name, the office he seeks, the address of his domicile, his telephone number, his
electronic mail address, and the parish, ward, and precinct where he is registered to vote.
Requires the candidate to list on the notice of candidacy the name of the political party if he
is registered as being affiliated with a recognized political party, "other" if he is registered
as being affiliated with a political party that is not a recognized political party, or "no party"
if he is registered with no political party affiliation.
Proposed law additionally requires a candidate for U.S. senator or representative in congress
to include on his statement of candidacy his age as of the date of commencement of the term
of office which he seeks, his citizenship as "natural born" or as "naturalized" and his date
of naturalization, if applicable, and whether he is currently an inhabitant of the state and has
been continuously domiciled within the state during the year prior to filing.
Present law provides for grounds for objecting to the candidacy of a person who qualified
as a candidate in a primary election.
Proposed law provides as a ground for objection to candidacy of a candidate for U.S. senator
or representative in congress that the candidate falsely certified in his notice of candidacy
his domicile as of the date of qualifying, his domicile for the year prior to the date of
qualifying, his age as of the date of commencement of the term of office which he seeks, and
his citizenship as "natural born" or as "naturalized" and his date of naturalization, if
applicable.
Present law prescribes the content and form of information provided on a ballot, including
the title of offices, names and numbers of each candidate, and political party designation of
each candidate.
Proposed law requires the ballot for primary and general elections to additionally include the
following for candidates for U.S. senator or representative in congress:
(1)The age of the candidate as of the date that he would assume office upon election
shall be listed immediately following the candidate's political party designation in
substantially the following form "Age: [insert age range in XX-YY format based on
entire term of the office sought] during term of office".
(2)The citizenship designation of the candidate shall be listed immediately following
the candidate's age disclosure. The citizenship designation shall shall state
"Citizenship established [list birth year for natural born citizens or year of
naturalization for naturalized citizens]". If the candidate is not a U.S. citizen, he
shall not appear on the ballot for United States senator or representative in congress.
(3)Information about the candidate's inhabitancy in the state during the prior year shall
be listed immediately following the candidate's citizenship designation. If the
candidate has been domiciled in the state for a year prior to qualifying, the words
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HB NO. 900
"Habitant of Louisiana during the year prior to qualifying." shall be placed after his
citizenship designation. If the candidate has not been domiciled in Louisiana for the
entire year prior to qualifying, the words "Not a habitant of Louisiana within the year
prior to qualifying." shall be placed after his citizenship designation.
Proposed law requires the secretary of state to promulgate and adopt rules as necessary to
effectuate the provisions of proposed law.
Effective upon signature of governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Amends R.S. 18:463(A)(1)(a) and 551(E); Adds R.S. 18:492(A)(8) and 551(F))
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