Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Election Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
DeSoto Parish registrar outlines new absentee and registration rules effective Aug. 1
Summary
Registrar Amanda Raines told the Police Jury that Louisiana laws effective Aug. 1 change voter-registration-drive rules and restrict who may deliver or assist with absentee ballots; she asked the jury to help publicize the changes and clarified that a later budget amendment is unrelated to her office’s operating budget.
Amanda Raines, Registrar of Voters for DeSoto Parish, briefed the Police Jury on new Louisiana election laws that took effect Aug. 1 and asked jurors to help spread the word.
Raines summarized three major changes: organizers of voter‑registration drives must register with the Secretary of State or the local registrar (or register online by emailing outreach@SOS.LA.gov) unless the drive is fully electronic using the state website or the GoVote app; Act 380 restricts delivery of marked ballots so that no person except an immediate family member may deliver more than one marked ballot per election to the registrar; and Acts 302 and 317 limit who may assist voters with completing absentee ballots or submitting absentee ballot applications, generally allowing only immediate family members or designated officials and prohibiting multiple‑voter assistance by a single individual in a single election.
She said future absentee‑ballot affidavits will include new witness/assistance information and require assistants to be 18 or older. Raines also clarified that a budget amendment later on the agenda relates to expanded precinct counts after redistricting (the parish increased from 37 to 53 precincts) and not to mismanagement of her office’s operating budget; she said her office remained “well within our means” and that additional costs tied to more precincts are election‑specific.
Raines distributed flyers and said the registrar’s office and the Secretary of State planned public outreach, including a press release. She offered to provide a detailed report of legislative changes to any juror who requests it.
The jury took no formal action on the legislative update during the meeting.
