§1308.3. Special provision for temporarily displaced persons

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.

(b) Upon expiration of Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph, any voter who has voted absentee by mail pursuant to Subparagraph (a) who has not voted during early voting at the registrar's office or at the polls on election day shall not be considered to have previously voted in the parish in which he is registered for purposes of R.S. 18:115(F)(1) and shall be subject to the requirements of R.S. 18:115(F)(1).

B. The provisions of R.S. 18:1308(A)(2) shall not apply to absentee by mail voting conducted pursuant to this Section. The provisions of Subsection B, Paragraph (A)(1), and Subparagraph (A)(2)(a) of this Section shall be effective for a period of one year following February 23, 2006.

C. When a person has submitted an application to vote absentee by mail pursuant to this Section, the registrar shall, prior to sending the absentee by mail ballot, contact the appropriate election official in the jurisdiction where the applicant has requested for his absentee by mail ballot to be sent and attempt to verify that the person has not registered to vote in that jurisdiction, or if such jurisdiction has a statewide voter registration database, in that state. If the registrar finds that the person has registered in that jurisdiction or state, the person shall not be permitted to vote absentee by mail and the registrar shall proceed in accordance with the applicable provisions of Part V of Chapter 4 of this Code.

Acts 2006, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 4, §1, eff. Feb. 23, 2006; Acts 2006, No. 403, §1, eff. June 15, 2006.