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HB1057 • 2026

VOTERS/VOTING: Provides for an application to vote absentee by mail made by a member of the United States Service

VOTERS/VOTING: Provides for an application to vote absentee by mail made by a member of the United States Service

Elections Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Joy Walters
Last action
2026-05-28
Official status
Sent to Governor
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill summary and digest do not provide information about citizens residing outside of the U.S.

Voting by Mail for Military Service Members

This bill allows members of the U.S. Service to apply for an absentee ballot by mail using a federal postcard application or electronically, with their application remaining valid for two years.

What This Bill Does

  • Allows military service members to request an absentee ballot by mail using a federal postcard application.
  • Permits these individuals to submit their voting applications electronically if the registrar provides this option.
  • Ensures that such applications remain valid for at least two years, including one regularly scheduled federal general election.
  • Requires registrars to provide written reasons if they reject an application from military service members.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Members of the U.S. Service

Terms To Know

Absentee ballot
A vote cast by someone who cannot be present at their polling place on election day.
Registrar of voters
An official responsible for managing voter registration and elections in a specific area.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify what happens if the application is rejected.
  • It is unclear how registrars will implement electronic submission options.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

Adopted

Plain English: The amendment changes the original bill to allow absentee voting applications for U.S. Service members and citizens living abroad, extends the validity period of these applications, adjusts some wording, removes certain lines, and sets a specific effective date.

  • Adds provisions allowing absentee voting by mail for U.S. Service members and citizens residing outside the United States.
  • Changes the validity period of an application from one year to two years under certain circumstances.
  • Removes specific sections of text on page 2, lines 4 through 14.
  • Inserts a new section stating that the Act will become effective on July 1, 2027.
  • The exact details removed in Amendment No. 4 are not provided and thus cannot be explained further.
Draft

Plain English: The amendment changes the duration for which an absentee voting application remains valid and adds a specific effective date for the new rules.

  • Changes the validity period of an absentee voting application from one year to two years.
  • Adds a provision stating that the Act will take effect on July 1, 2027.
  • The amendment text does not provide full details about all changes made and their impacts, making it hard to explain every aspect clearly.
Draft

Plain English: The amendment removes certain requirements for members of the United States Service to apply for absentee voting by mail.

  • Removes language that required a new application under specific circumstances.
  • Deletes the sub-section identifier '(2)(a)' and changes it to just '(2)'.
  • Eliminates lines 8 through 14 from the original bill.
  • The exact impact of removing these sections is not fully explained in the amendment text.
Draft

Plain English: The amendment adds provisions related to early voting, including specific hours and days when early voting can occur in certain parishes.

  • Adds a new section (§1309) detailing the rules for early voting, including office hours on weekdays and Sundays in high-population parishes.
  • Specifies that registrars must remain open from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Saturday during early voting periods.
  • Allows registrars in parishes with a population of at least 230,000 to stay open until 6:00 PM on Sundays during the early voting period.
  • Requires the state to pay for expenses incurred by registrars and their employees when conducting early voting outside regular hours.
  • The amendment text does not provide specific details about how these changes will be implemented or enforced.

Bill History

  1. 2026-05-28 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  2. 2026-05-27 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  3. 2026-05-27 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  4. 2026-05-26 H

    Received from the Senate without amendments.

  5. 2026-05-26 S

    Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 35 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  6. 2026-05-25 S

    Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.

  7. 2026-05-21 S

    Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  8. 2026-05-20 S

    Reported favorably.

  9. 2026-05-12 S

    Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs.

  10. 2026-05-11 S

    Received in the Senate. Rules suspended. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.

  11. 2026-05-11 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 71, nays 27. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  12. 2026-05-07 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 05/11/2026.

  13. 2026-05-07 H

    Read by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.

  14. 2026-05-06 H

    Reported with amendments (15-0).

  15. 2026-03-31 H

    Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.

  16. 2026-03-30 H

    Read by title. Lies over under the rules.

Official Summary Text

VOTERS/VOTING: Provides for an application to vote absentee by mail made by a member of the United States Service

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 1057
BY REPRESENTATIVES WALTERS AND MANDIE LANDRY
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 18:1307(C), relative to absentee by mail voting; to provide
3 relative to applying to vote absentee by mail; to provide relative to application by a
4 member of the United States Service or a citizen who resides outside of the United
5 States; to provide that an application remains valid until a certain time under certain
6 circumstances; to provide for effectiveness; and to provide for related matters.
7 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
8 Section 1. R.S. 18:1307(C) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
9 §1307. Application by mail
10 * * *
11 C. If the applicant is a member of the United States Service or resides
12 outside the United States, he may use the federal postcard application or an
13 application electronically transmitted by the registrar or secretary of state, and the
14 application shall be received by the registrar no later than 4:30 p.m. on the day
15 before the election. Such application shall be valid for a period extending at least
16 one year two years from the date the application is received in the office of the
17 registrar of voters; such period shall include at least one regularly scheduled federal
18 general election. If the registrar rejects the application of an applicant who is a
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 1057 ENROLLED
1 member of the United States Service or resides outside the United States, the
2 registrar shall provide the applicant with written reasons for the rejection.
3 * * *
4 Section 2. This Act shall become effective on July 1, 2027.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
Page 2 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.