Sen. Carter presses Senate Government Affairs committee on status of ballots after governor suspends congressional elections

Sen. Carter repeatedly pressed the Senate and Government Affairs Committee on May 8, 2026, seeking information about the status of ballots cast in Louisiana’s congressional elections after the governor issued a suspension.

“Do you have that information, mister chairman? How many people have requested early ballots?” Sen. Carter asked, pressing the panel for figures and assurance about ballots already cast. The chair replied, “No, I cannot,” and said no one from the secretary of state's office was present to answer those questions.

Carter pressed further on whether ballots that had already been cast would be preserved, counted or discarded. He asked directly whether the public could be given certainty that those ballots “in fact [would] not be discarded.” The chair responded that he could not comment, saying, “I'm not in that role,” and repeated that he had not reached out to the secretary of state to obtain the requested information.

The chair emphasized that the committee did not plan to vote on bills that day and that the meeting’s primary purpose was to hear public testimony on congressional maps that have been filed. “All we're here for today is public testimony on the maps that have been filed,” the chair said, and reiterated procedural rules for testimony and witness cards.

The exchange left the specific questions about the disposition and counting of already-cast ballots unresolved during the committee’s opening remarks. The committee proceeded to take public testimony on the filed maps without votes scheduled for the session.

The chair and committee did not provide a timeline or named office representative who would address Sen. Carter’s questions during the meeting. The absence of a secretary of state's representative and the lack of immediate answers from the committee chair were the principal takeaways from the opening exchange.