Vetoed by Governor John Bel Edwards

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires conducting a supplemental canvass of registered voters.

Highlights:

• Establishes that each year, once the registrars have sent address confirmation cards as outlined in R.S. 18:192(A)(2), the Department of State is to conduct the supplemental annual canvass (Sec. 1).

• Establishes the purpose of the supplemental annual canvass to identify other registrants who have moved and need to update their voter registration records to reflect their current addresses (Sec. 1).

• Requires that the secretary of state identify, from information available in the state voter registration computer system, registrants to which all the following apply (Sec. 1):

• Registrants whose names did not appear with corrected addresses provided by the United States Postal Service or its licensee under R.S. 18:192(A)(1)(b);

• Registrants who have not voted in an election in the past ten years; and

• Registrants who failed to engage in any of the following activities in the past ten years: make an application for voter registration; receive an absentee ballot; validly sign a petition submitted to the registrar of voters for certification according to law; change a name, address, or party affiliation or non-affiliation; make any other change in registration; or participate in the nursing home program.

• Establishes that the Department of State is to send to the registrants so identified a “supplemental address confirmation card” and place the registrant on the inactive list of voters (Sec. 1).

• Defines “supplemental address confirmation card” to mean a postage prepaid and pre-addressed return card, sent by forwardable mail (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that the Department of State is responsible for developing the supplemental address confirmation card and is to submit it to the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs for review, and is further responsible for informing the registrant about his voting rights under the supplemental address confirmation process (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that ​​if the registrant responds to the supplemental address confirmation card and has not moved or has moved within the parish, the registrar is to remove the registrant's name from the inactive list of voters if it is on the inactive list and correct the registrant's address if necessary (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that if the registrant responds to the supplemental address confirmation card and has permanently moved to a different parish, the registrar is to transfer the registrant's registration information to the parish of residence (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that if the registrant responds to the supplemental address confirmation card and has permanently moved outside the state, the registrar is to cancel the registrant's registration (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that a registrant on the inactive list of voters who fails to respond to the supplemental address confirmation card is to remain on the inactive list of voters until his address is confirmed following the procedures outlined in R.S. 18:196 or not later than 2 regularly scheduled federal general elections, at which time the registrar is to cancel the registrant's registration (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that a list of names and addresses to whom supplemental address confirmation cards are sent and whether or not each registrant responded to the confirmation card is to be maintained for a period of two years and is open to inspection and copying as provided in R.S. 18:154 and 90 days before a regularly scheduled federal primary election, the names and addresses of those registrants on the inactive list is to be published for one day in the official journal of the parish governing authority or in a newspaper calculated to provide maximum notice in the parish (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that in addition to the official list of voters, there is to be an inactive list of voters which consists of registrants who have been mailed an address confirmation or a supplemental address confirmation card (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that the names of registrants on the inactive list of voters are not to be counted in computing the number of ballots required for an election, the number of voters required to divide or constitute a precinct, the number of signatures required on any petition, the number of commissioners at a precinct according to R.S. 18:425, the number of voting machines to be allocated and used in each voting precinct according to R.S. 18:1363, or the number of registered voters necessary to recognize or determine the organization of a political party or committee (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that if a registrant who has failed to respond to an address confirmation card or a supplemental address confirmation card and whose name appears on the inactive list of voters does not vote in any election from the date he is placed on the inactive list of voters until the day after the second regularly scheduled general election for federal office held after such date, the registrar is to cancel the registration of the registrant (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that this act is to become effective on April 1, 2022 (Sec. 2).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires conducting a supplemental canvass of registered voters.

Highlights:

• Establishes that each year, once the registrars have sent address confirmation cards as outlined in R.S. 18:192(A)(2), the Department of State is to conduct the supplemental annual canvass (Sec. 1).

• Establishes the purpose of the supplemental annual canvass to identify other registrants who have moved and need to update their voter registration records to reflect their current addresses (Sec. 1).

• Requires that the secretary of state identify, from information available in the state voter registration computer system, registrants to which all the following apply (Sec. 1):

• Registrants whose names did not appear with corrected addresses provided by the United States Postal Service or its licensee under R.S. 18:192(A)(1)(b);

• Registrants who have not voted in an election in the past ten years; and

• Registrants who failed to engage in any of the following activities in the past ten years: make an application for voter registration; receive an absentee ballot; validly sign a petition submitted to the registrar of voters for certification according to law; change a name, address, or party affiliation or non-affiliation; make any other change in registration; or participate in the nursing home program.

• Establishes that the Department of State is to send to the registrants so identified a “supplemental address confirmation card” and place the registrant on the inactive list of voters (Sec. 1).

• Defines “supplemental address confirmation card” to mean a postage prepaid and pre-addressed return card, sent by forwardable mail (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that the Department of State is responsible for developing the supplemental address confirmation card and is to submit it to the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs for review, and is further responsible for informing the registrant about his voting rights under the supplemental address confirmation process (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that ​​if the registrant responds to the supplemental address confirmation card and has not moved or has moved within the parish, the registrar is to remove the registrant's name from the inactive list of voters if it is on the inactive list and correct the registrant's address if necessary (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that if the registrant responds to the supplemental address confirmation card and has permanently moved to a different parish, the registrar is to transfer the registrant's registration information to the parish of residence (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that if the registrant responds to the supplemental address confirmation card and has permanently moved outside the state, the registrar is to cancel the registrant's registration (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that a registrant on the inactive list of voters who fails to respond to the supplemental address confirmation card is to remain on the inactive list of voters until his address is confirmed following the procedures outlined in R.S. 18:196 or not later than 2 regularly scheduled federal general elections, at which time the registrar is to cancel the registrant's registration (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that a list of names and addresses to whom supplemental address confirmation cards are sent and whether or not each registrant responded to the confirmation card is to be maintained for a period of two years and is open to inspection and copying as provided in R.S. 18:154 and 90 days before a regularly scheduled federal primary election, the names and addresses of those registrants on the inactive list is to be published for one day in the official journal of the parish governing authority or in a newspaper calculated to provide maximum notice in the parish (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that in addition to the official list of voters, there is to be an inactive list of voters which consists of registrants who have been mailed an address confirmation or a supplemental address confirmation card (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that the names of registrants on the inactive list of voters are not to be counted in computing the number of ballots required for an election, the number of voters required to divide or constitute a precinct, the number of signatures required on any petition, the number of commissioners at a precinct according to R.S. 18:425, the number of voting machines to be allocated and used in each voting precinct according to R.S. 18:1363, or the number of registered voters necessary to recognize or determine the organization of a political party or committee (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that if a registrant who has failed to respond to an address confirmation card or a supplemental address confirmation card and whose name appears on the inactive list of voters does not vote in any election from the date he is placed on the inactive list of voters until the day after the second regularly scheduled general election for federal office held after such date, the registrar is to cancel the registration of the registrant (Sec. 1).

• Establishes that this act is to become effective on April 1, 2022 (Sec. 2).

Full Bill Text