La. R.S. § 18:1309 Early Voting; Verification

• Library: Louisiana Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current with changes from the 2023 Legislative Session
• Year: 2023
• Citation: La. R.S. § 18:1309

A.

(1)

(a)

(i) The period for conducting early voting shall be from fourteen days to seven days prior to any scheduled election. However, for the presidential election, the period for conducting early voting shall be from eighteen days to seven days prior to the presidential election.

(ii) The period for conducting early voting shall also include the day added pursuant to Subparagraph (b) of this Paragraph, if applicable.

(b)

(i) One day of early voting shall be added to the period specified in Item (a)(i) of this Paragraph if one or more holidays is required to be observed on a weekday during that period pursuant to Paragraph (4) of this Subsection.

(ii) The additional day shall be the first day preceding the period described in Item (a)(i) of this Paragraph that is not a Sunday or a holiday required to be observed pursuant to Paragraph (4) of this Subsection.

(2) During the early voting period, the registrar shall maintain regular office hours, remaining open from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Early voting on each day of the early voting period shall terminate when all persons who were in line to vote at the close of the regular office hours of the registrar's office, as provided in this Paragraph, have been allowed to vote. If the office space of the registrar is insufficient or inconvenient to accommodate early voting, the registrar may provide for an alternate location to conduct early voting, which location shall be in the courthouse or in a public building in the immediate vicinity thereof, and in such case, adequate notice shall be posted at the registrar's office informing the public of the location where early voting is being conducted.

(3) A law enforcement officer shall not interfere with the conduct of the election, the voters, or the election officials. However, a registrar may use law enforcement officers to maintain order at any location where early voting is conducted.

(4) A registrar shall observe the holidays which are provided by law or proclaimed by the governor for state departments during any period for conducting early voting.

(5) Notwithstanding any provision of this Section to the contrary, law enforcement officers may enter the early voting location when there is a reasonable belief there is an emergency and the registrar is unable to summon the law enforcement officers.

B.

(1) For the purpose of facilitating early voting, the registrar may designate, in addition to the location for early voting provided in Subsection A of this Section, one or more branch offices wherein early voting may be conducted. Any such branch office shall be located in a public building, and the days during which early voting may be conducted therein shall be fixed by the registrar, with the approval of the secretary of state, at least thirty days prior to a primary election and twenty-one days prior to a general election, as provided in Subsection A of this Section, and the registrar shall post at his office adequate notice of the days on which early voting will be held at each branch office. However, if a branch office of a registrar is destroyed, inaccessible, or unsafe during or following a gubernatorially declared state of emergency, the registrar may utilize a temporary building as a branch office to discharge his duties until an office that meets the requirements of this Section becomes available. Such temporary office shall be located within the parish, or if there is no appropriate location within the parish due to the emergency, then in an immediately adjacent parish, or if there is no appropriate location in any immediately adjacent parish due to the emergency, then in the nearest parish in which there is an appropriate location.

(2) The registrar shall provide or post the voters' bill of rights and informational posters, if required, the statement of proposed constitutional amendments on the ballot, and a sample ballot prepared by the secretary of state in a conspicuous place at the principal entrance to the early voting polling place, where they shall remain posted throughout early voting.