Senate committee clears bill clarifying electronic voting under Open Meetings Law

Senate Bill 1, offered by Senator Jenkins, was reported with amendments by the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee on March 25. The bill would clarify that "any vote by an individual member of a public body that is displayed and recorded using electronic machines should satisfy the concept of Viva Voce voting requirements of the Open Meetings Law."

Senator Jenkins said the change is intended to align longstanding practice—many public bodies already use electronic systems that display and record member votes—with the state’s open meetings requirements. "Hopefully, if this bill moves forward, we at least settle the area that if these governmental bodies have now invested in the equipment that satisfy, open meetings law, let individuals know how an individual member voted," Jenkins said.

Senator Miller asked whether the amendment should explicitly cite RS 42:11 (the Open Meetings Law). A staff member replied that the law’s title is commonly used and that the citation could be inserted for clarification.

The committee adopted the sponsor’s amendments and, with several supporting organizations on hand (including the Police Jury Association and other groups that filed green cards), Senator Carter moved to report SB 1 as amended. The committee reported the bill with amendments by unanimous consent.

Next steps: SB 1 will proceed to the full Senate for further consideration; the measure seeks to reduce legal uncertainty for public bodies using electronic voting systems.