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Clerks and election officials tell finance committee staffing shortfalls prompt stopgap pay fix in HB205
Summary
Clerks and election officials told the Finance Committee HB205 is a temporary measure to ease acute shortages among election commissioners under the new closed primary system; Ascension Parish Clerk Bridget Hanna said commissioners "have not received a pay increase in 19 years." The committee reported the bill favorable.
Representative (S7) introduced HB205 as a short-term measure to address widespread staffing shortages at polling locations under the new closed-party primary system. He described the bill as a "stopgap" and said the state must still examine a longer-term funding solution.
Bridget Hanna, Ascension Parish clerk of court (S9), testified HB205 is aimed at sustaining a decades-long standard of election administration on the ground. "Election commissioners have not received a pay increase in 19 years," Hanna said, and described recurrent training demands and multi‑hour election days that now include closed-primary procedures. She said many parishes are short of certified commissioners and that clerks are having to reassign staff to polling places to ensure precincts open and function.
Brandon Abadie (S10), representing East Baton Rouge clerk operations, told the committee the parish was short of commissioners for the upcoming election and had doubled up staff across precincts to cover gaps. "Once we drew, in East Baton Rouge, we have about 2,200 commissioners," he said, and that local offices had to move employees to cover staffing needs.
Senator Presley (S6) said he appreciates the clerks’ work but framed HB205 as a temporary response: "This is the first aid. The true solution is not going to be this bill in its current form," he said, urging a future state funding review. Several members urged using HB205 now to avoid immediate disruptions while pursuing a study resolution and longer-term fixes.
The committee moved HB205 and reported it favorable. The sponsor and clerk representatives said the bill does not create new general‑fund spending for this year but seeks to align statutory authority or provide mechanisms to sustain staffing for the imminent election cycle.
Next steps: HB205 was reported favorable by the committee and will proceed to the next legislative stage; sponsors said a study and additional legislation may follow to seek a permanent funding solution.
