LOUISIANA LAWMAKERS QUIETLY PASSED A SWEEPING REWRITE OF THE STATE'S ELECTION CODE. VOTERS HAVE NO IDEA.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media contact: Jesse Vad, [email protected]

BATON ROUGE — As Louisiana lawmakers consumed the public's attention with congressional redistricting hearings this week, they quietly passed one of the most consequential rewrites of the state's election code in years with no public process, no public hearings, and no public notice.

House Bill 842, passed yesterday through a conference committee, makes dozens of changes to Louisiana's Election Code. The ACLU of Louisiana is raising the alarm about several provisions that should concern every voter in this state regardless of party.

The Secretary of State can void your vote and no one can find out.

Perhaps the most alarming provision in HB 842 is this: the bill cancels all votes already cast in the May 16 congressional primary, declares them void, and then explicitly prohibits any election official from disclosing those votes. The bill states plainly that "no election official shall disclose votes cast" in the cancelled election. This blocks anyone from using public records requests to obtain that information.

More than 250,000 Louisianans have already cast ballots including absentee and early votes. This bill makes those votes disappear, and then makes the disappearance a secret. There is no public records access to that process. There is no transparency mechanism. There is no accountability.

Other provisions voters should know about:

The bill also makes a series of additional changes that, taken together, tighten the state's grip on election administration while loosening public oversight:

— Cancels the May 16 and June 27 congressional primaries entirely and moves all congressional races to a fall open primary, restructuring the entire 2026 congressional election calendar in one rushed bill

— Strips the annual voter roll canvass requirement in years with a tight election calendar, precisely the years when accurate voter rolls matter most

— Gives the Secretary of State new rulemaking authority over ballot rejection with no corresponding transparency requirement

— Shortens deadlines for watchers to file early voting observer lists, reducing the window for public oversight of early voting

This bill passed through a conference committee — a process specifically designed to avoid public scrutiny. There were no committee hearings where citizens could testify. No public notice was posted. No opportunity for advocates, voters, or journalists to weigh in before the vote.

The ACLU of Louisiana is calling on the Louisiana Legislature to immediately hold public hearings for HB 842.