La. R.S. § 18:1308.3 Special Provision For Temporarily Displaced Persons

• Library: Louisiana Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current with changes from the 2023 Legislative Session
• Year: 2023
• Citation: La. R.S. § 18:1308.3

A. The Legislature of Louisiana recognizes that due to the recent common disaster and state of emergency an unprecedented number of persons have been temporarily displaced from their parishes of residence for an indefinite period of time. Because the right to vote is a right that is essential to the effective operation of a democratic government, the legislature finds that the state has a compelling interest in securing the right to vote for any temporarily displaced person who may experience greater difficulty exercising his right due to his displaced status.

(1) The legislature, therefore, enacts this Paragraph to provide for the following provisions, applicable to members of the United States service or persons residing outside the United States, to apply to any registered voter temporarily displaced from his parish of residence when he submits with an application to vote by mail an affidavit attesting that he is temporarily displaced from his parish of residence by reason of the state of emergency, that he is eligible to vote in his parish of residence, and that he expects to be out of his parish of registration during early voting and on election day: R.S. 18:1307(C) and 1311(D)(1)(a), except that the application to vote by mail shall be valid for a period of one year following February 23, 2006. The provisions of this Paragraph shall not apply to any person who has not previously voted in his parish of residence either during early voting in the office of the registrar or at the precinct in which he is registered to vote.

(2)

(a) The legislature, therefore, additionally enacts this Paragraph to provide for the following provisions, applicable to members of the United States service or persons residing outside the United States, to apply to any registered voter, who registered to vote by mail on or after October 5, 2004 but prior to September 25, 2005, who is temporarily displaced from his parish of residence when he submits with an application to vote by mail an affidavit attesting that he is temporarily displaced from his parish of residence by reason of the state of emergency, that he is eligible to vote in his parish of residence, and that he expects to be out of his parish of registration during early voting and on election day: R.S. 18:115(F)(2)(a), 1307(C), and 1311(D)(1)(a), except that the application to vote by mail shall be valid for a period of one year following February 23, 2006.