State Board of Elections Supervisors approves 34-item elections omnibus to send to legislature

The State Board of Elections Supervisors approved a 34-item omnibus package of draft changes to Louisiana election law during a meeting called to order by Secretary of State Nancy Landry.

The package, presented by Katherine Newsome, First Assistant Secretary of State, covers technical updates, closed-primary implementation items and several statutory clarifications. Newsome told the board she was presenting "items 1 through 34" and asked members to hold questions until the full list was introduced. After public comment, Commissioner Hatzke moved to approve the draft omnibus provisions and Gina Gore seconded; the board approved the package with no objections.

Newsome outlined a mix of technical and policy-related revisions. Items include adding "grandparents and grandchildren" to the election-code definition of immediate family and defining "affidavit" (item 1); removing outdated references to the Electronic Registration Information Center in favor of broader "written agreements" language (items 2 and 6); changing the deadline for the board's annual report to "45 days prior to the start of the regular legislative session" (item 3); and several changes required to implement closed-party primaries (multiple items, including items 8, 9, 14, 15, 20, 21, 25, 28). Newsome also described changes to the annual canvas process allowing the Department of State to use address data from multiple sources rather than relying solely on the U.S. Postal Service (item 7), updates to early voting procedures (items 26 and 27), and a new ability for the secretary of state's office to file an affidavit in lieu of live testimony for objections to candidacy (item 34).

The board heard public comments before the vote. John O'Dell, a public commenter, said "the current administration... is encouraging all governors and states to... support the use of paper ballots," and cited anticipated federal-level actions. Michael Barrett, a Baton Rouge resident, questioned the proposal to enter written agreements with outside entities for voter-record data and said, "I don't want to have any other entities dealing with our state voter records." Multiple other members of the public urged a move away from electronic voting machines and praised the shift toward closed primaries.

Board members did not ask substantive follow-up questions after the presentation; Newsome and Deputy Commissioner of Elections Lainie Boyd remained available for clarification. The board approved the omnibus package by unanimous consent; the chair noted there were no objections and the items "are approved. All 34 items are approved."

The board also approved the minutes of its previous meeting (Feb. 1, 2024) by motion and second, and later adjourned on a motion by Craig Smith seconded by Bridget Hannah.

The approved draft omnibus provisions will be incorporated into the Department of State's omnibus bill and transmitted to the legislature for consideration in the 2025 regular session. Newsome reminded the board that the board's report is a preliminary review and that members of the public will have "up to 4 opportunities after this meeting to make public comments" during the legislative process.

Votes at a glance

- Approval of minutes from Feb. 1, 2024: Motion by Commissioner Hatzke; second by Bridget Hannah; outcome: approved (no objections). - Approval of draft omnibus provisions, items 1'34: Motion by Commissioner Hatzke; second by Gina Gore; outcome: approved (no objections). The package covers technical corrections, closed-primary implementation items, updates to canvass and early voting procedures, updates to acceptable ID for name-change proof, and other statutory clarifications as detailed in the board packet.

What happens next

The approved package will be translated into the Department of State's omnibus bill for the 2025 legislative session and will be subject to the regular committee processes and public comment in the Legislature. Several public commenters urged further changes outside the scope of the presented items, including replacing electronic voting machines with paper ballots; such proposals would need separate legislative or administrative action to proceed.