§1355. Construction and equipment of machines; requirements

A. Each voting machine used in an election shall be so constructed and equipped as to:

(1) Secure to the voter secrecy in the act of voting.

(2) Provide facilities for voting for or against each question that is submitted.

(3) Permit the voter to vote for as many persons for an office as he is lawfully entitled to vote for, but no more. However, where the voter may vote for more than one person for an office, it shall count each vote cast, even though the voter has voted for fewer than the total number of votes he is entitled to cast for a particular office.

(4) Prevent the voter from voting more than once on the same candidate or on the same question.

(5) Permit the voter to vote for or against any question upon which he has a right to vote, but no other.

(6) When used in a primary election at which members of a political party committee are to be voted on, allow election officials to lock out all candidate counters except those of the party with which the voter is affiliated.

(7) Permit all unused vote indicators or devices to be locked out against use.

(8) Correctly register and record and accurately count all votes cast for each candidate and for or against each question.

(9) Be provided with a protective counter or tabulator or protective devices which will prevent any operation of the machine before or after the election.

(10) Be provided with a counter or tabulator which at all times during the election shall show the number of persons who have voted.

(11) Contain one or more automatic locks which, upon exposure of the vote count at any time after the polls are opened on election day, will automatically lock the machine against further operation.

(12) Contain a gong or other sound creating device which will audibly indicate that a voter has left the machine after casting his vote.

(13) Contain, for elections for president and vice president, those devices needed in order to comply with R.S. 18:1259.

(14) Have a lighting device which provides sufficient light to enable voters to read the ballot and to enable the election commissioners to examine the counters or tabulators.

(15) Be provided with a screen, hood, or curtain which is so made and can be so adjusted as to protect the privacy of the voter while voting.

(16) Be capable of being operated by battery power.

(17) Be incapable of being reset, altered, or used except by operating the machine.

B. Each voting machine used in an election may be so constructed and equipped to have a voter verification mechanism.

Acts 1976, No. 697, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1978. Acts 1984, No. 672, §1; Acts 2001, No. 1181, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2002; Acts 2002, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 130, §1, eff. April 23, 2002; Acts 2006, No. 403, §§2, 3, eff. Jan. 1, 2007; Acts 2006, No. 560, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2007; Acts 2007, No. 240, §1; Acts 2007, No. 448, §1; Acts 2010, No. 570, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2011; Acts 2018, No. 584, §1, eff. May 28, 2018.