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HLS 26RS-1372 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 1131
BY REPRESENTATIVE MARCELLE
ELECTIONS: Provides relative to voter registration
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 18:193(A), 195(A), and 196(A)(1), to enact R.S. 18:32, 33, 34,
3 202, and 203 and R.S. 24:513(D)(9), and to repeal R.S. 18:192(B), relative to voter
4 registration; to provide relative to the transmission of voter registration data to
5 federal agencies; to provide for the cancellation of voter registration; to provide for
6 the grounds for the cancellation of voter registration; to repeal provisions related to
7 the annual canvass of registrants who fail to take certain actions in a ten year period;
8 to provide for the timing for placement of a registrant's name on the inactive list of
9 voters; to require certain notifications related to inactive voter status and the
10 cancellation of registration; to provide for voter list maintenance reporting; to
11 establish the Louisiana Voter Data Transparency Task Force; to require the
12 legislative auditor to conduct compliance audits; to provide for the duties of the
13 secretary of state; and to provide for related matters.
14 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
15 Section 1. R.S. 18:193(A), 195(A), and 196(A)(1) are hereby amended and reenacted
16 and R.S. 18:32, 33, 34, 202, and 203 are hereby enacted to read as follows:
17 §32. Transmission of sensitive voter data to federal agencies; restrictions
18 A. The secretary of state shall not transmit sensitive voter data to any federal
19 agency unless required by federal law or court order or provided for in a written
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1 intergovernmental agreement posted on the secretary of state's website for not less
2 than thirty days prior to transmission.
3 B.(1) At least thirty days prior to the transmission of sensitive voter data, the
4 secretary of state shall notify each affected voter by each of the following methods:
5 (a) First-class mail.
6 (b) Electronic mail, if an electronic mail address is available.
7 (c) Short message service message, if a short message service number is
8 available.
9 (d) Automated telephone notification, if a phone number is available.
10 (2) The notice shall include the following:
11 (a) The name of the receiving agency.
12 (b) The purpose of the data transmission.
13 (c) The categories of data to be transmitted.
14 (d) Information on how the voter may seek clarification or contest the
15 transmission if permitted by law.
16 C. If immediate transmission is required by court order or federal directive,
17 notice shall be provided within thirty days after transmission unless prohibited by the
18 court order or federal directive.
19 D. For purposes of this Section, "sensitive voter data" means personally
20 identifiable information contained within the state voter registration computer system
21 that is not publicly available under law, including but not limited to full or partial
22 social security numbers, driver's license numbers, dates of birth, residential addresses
23 where protected by law, contact information, and identifiable voting history.
24 §33. Voter status notification system
25 A. The secretary of state shall establish and maintain a statewide voter status
26 notification system which shall provide automated notification to a registered voter
27 of the following:
28 (1) Address confirmation requirements.
29 (2) Placement of his name on the inactive list of voters.
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1 (3) Risk of cancellation of the voter's registration.
2 (4) Cancellation of the voter's registration.
3 B. The system shall provide automated notification to voters by each of the
4 following methods:
5 (1) First-class mail.
6 (2) Electronic mail, if an electronic mail address is available.
7 (3) Short message service message, if a short message service number is
8 available.
9 (4) Automated telephone notification, if a phone number is available.
10 C.(1) Initial notice shall be issued within five business days of any of the
11 events provided for in Subsection A of this Section.
12 (2) A second notice shall be issued within thirty days of any of the events
13 provided for in Subsection A of this Section.
14 (3) A third notice shall be issued not less than sixty days prior to
15 cancellation,
16 (4) A voter's registration shall not be cancelled unless at least ninety days
17 have elapsed from the date the initial notice was issued.
18 D. The secretary of state shall provide to voters simple instructions to update
19 or verify registration online, by mail, or in person.
20 §34. Louisiana Voter Data Transparency Task Force
21 A. There is hereby created the Louisiana Voter Data Transparency Task
22 Force within the Department of State.
23 B.(1) The task force shall be composed of the following members:
24 (a) The secretary of state or his designee.
25 (b) One member appointed by the governor.
26 (c) One member appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.
27 (d) One member appointed by the president of the Senate.
28 (e) Two representatives of each recognized political party with over one
29 thousand registered voters, appointed by the party's state central committee.
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1 (f) One nonpartisan representative appointed by the League of Women
2 Voters.
3 (g) One data privacy expert appointed by the American Civil Liberties Union
4 of Louisiana.
5 (h) One civil rights attorney appointed by the Power Coalition for Equity and
6 Justice.
7 (i) One parish registrar of voters appointed by the Louisiana Registrars of
8 Voters Association.
9 (2) The names of the persons who are to serve on the task force shall be
10 submitted to the secretary of state on or before September 1, 2026.
11 C.(1) The task force shall meet quarterly to review and discuss the following:
12 (a) Quarterly voter maintenance reports published pursuant to R.S. 18:203.
13 (b) Registration cancellation rates across gender, race, and party affiliation.
14 (c) Federal data-sharing agreements.
15 (2) The task force shall submit an annual report including its findings and
16 recommendations to the House Committee on House and Governmental Affairs and
17 Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs no later than February first
18 of each year.
19 D.(1) The secretary of state or his designee shall call an organizational
20 meeting of the task force no later than September 15, 2026. The task force shall elect
21 a chairman, and any other officers deemed necessary, from among the membership.
22 (2) A majority of the total membership shall constitute a quorum of the task
23 force, and any official action taken by the task force shall require an affirmative vote
24 of the majority of the quorum present and voting.
25 E. Members shall serve without compensation, except for per diem or
26 expenses to which they may be entitled as members of the constituent organizations.
27 F. The Department of State shall provide staff to support the task force.
28 * * *
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1 §193. Challenge and cancellation of registration; notice; procedures
2 A. When the registrar has reason to believe that a registrant no longer is
3 qualified to be registered, or that a registrant has changed his residence, the registrar
4 shall immediately notify the person registrant by sending the address confirmation
5 notice to the registrant and place the voter on the inactive list of voters. A registrant
6 shall be placed on the inactive list of voters if he fails to respond to the address
7 confirmation notice within thirty days from the date the address confirmation notice
8 was sent to the registrant. However, a person registrant shall not be placed on the
9 inactive list of voters if there is address information available to the registrar from
10 the United States Postal Service or its licensee which indicates the voter registrant
11 has moved to another address within the parish.
12 * * *
13 §195. Challenge of registrants in the United States Service or temporarily residing
14 outside United States
15 A. If the registrant whose registration is challenged for any lawful cause is
16 a member of the United States Service or is a person who is temporarily residing
17 outside of the territorial limits of the United States, the registrar shall mail the
18 registrant an address confirmation notice. The registrant's name shall be placed on
19 the inactive list of voters upon mailing of such notice as provided in R.S. 18:193.
20 * * *
21 §196. Inactive list of voters; procedure for voting
22 A.(1) In addition to the official list of voters, there shall be an inactive list
23 of voters which shall consist of registrants who have been mailed an address
24 confirmation notice and failed to respond to the notice within thirty days from the
25 date the address confirmation notice was sent to the registrant. The names of
26 registrants on the inactive list of voters shall not be counted in computing the number
27 of ballots required for an election, the number of voters required to divide or
28 constitute a precinct, the number of signatures required on any petition, the number
29 of commissioners at a precinct pursuant to R.S. 18:425, the number of voting
30 machines to be allocated and used in each voting precinct pursuant to R.S. 18:1363,
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1 or the number of registered voters necessary to recognize or determine the
2 organization of a political party or committee.
3 * * *
4 §202. Voter list maintenance; limitations
5 A.(1) Voter list maintenance as provided for in this Part, including the
6 annual canvass and the challenge and cancellation of voter registration, shall be
7 conducted in a uniform, nondiscriminatory manner consistent with state and federal
8 law.
9 (2) No registrant's registration shall be cancelled and no registrant shall be
10 placed on the inactive list of voters solely for failure to vote in any election or for
11 any period of inactivity.
12 (3) No registrant shall be identified for cancellation and no registrant shall
13 be placed on the inactive list of voters based upon political party affiliation, change
14 in party affiliation, or non-affiliation.
15 (4) Criteria for voter list maintenance shall be applied equally to all
16 recognized political parties and affiliated voters.
17 B. No systematic voter registration removal program shall be conducted
18 within ninety days of a fall election.
19 C. The legislative auditor shall conduct annual compliance audits of voter
20 list maintenance procedures as provided in this Part and report his findings to the
21 legislature.
22 §203. Voter list maintenance reporting requirements
23 A. The secretary of state shall publish quarterly reports including the
24 following information:
25 (1) Total number of registered voters.
26 (2) Total number voters on the inactive list of voters.
27 (3) Total number of voters whose registration was cancelled during the
28 reporting period.
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1 (4) Total number of voters whose registration was cancelled during the
2 reporting period, categorized by the following:
3 (a) Parish.
4 (b) Reason for cancellation.
5 (c) Party affiliation, including unaffiliated registrants.
6 (d) Gender.
7 (e) Race.
8 B. Each report required by this Section shall be published on the official
9 website of the secretary of state in a searchable format.
10 Section 2. R.S. 24:513(D)(9) is hereby enacted to read as follows:
11 §513. Powers and duties of legislative auditor; audit reports as public records;
12 assistance and opinions of attorney general; frequency of audits; subpoena
13 power
14 * * *
15 D. In addition, the legislative auditor shall perform the following duties and
16 functions:
17 * * *
18 (9) Conduct an annual compliance audit of voter list maintenance procedures
19 as provided in R.S. 18:202 and report his findings to the legislature.
20 * * *
21 Section 3. R.S. 18:192(B) is hereby repealed in its entirety.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HB 1131 Original 2026 Regular Session Marcelle
Abstract: Provides that a registered voter shall not be moved to the inactive list of voters
until 30 days after an address confirmation notice is sent to the voter; eliminates the
annual canvass of voters conducted by the Dept. of State; requires that voter list
maintenance be conducted in a uniform, nondiscriminatory manner; requires the
secretary of state to publish quarterly reports of voter registration totals; limits the
secretary's ability to transfer voter registration data to a federal agency; requires the
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secretary to establish a statewide voter status notification system; and establishes the
La. Voter Data Transparency Task Force.
Present law (R.S. 18:193) provides that when the registrar has reason to believe that a
registrant no longer is qualified to be registered, or that a registrant has changed his
residence, the registrar shall immediately notify the registrant by sending the address
confirmation notice to the registrant and place the voter on the inactive list of voters.
Proposed law repeals the requirement that the voter be placed on the inactive list of voters
and instead provides that a registrant shall be placed on the inactive list of voters if he fails
to respond to the address confirmation notice within 30 days from the date the address
confirmation notice was sent to the registrant.
Present law (R.S. 18:195) provides that if a registrant whose registration is challenged for
any lawful cause is a member of the U.S. Service or is a person who is temporarily residing
outside of the territorial limits of the U.S., the registrar shall mail the registrant an address
confirmation notice and registrant's name shall be placed on the inactive list of voters upon
mailing of such notice.
Proposed law removes the requirement that the registrant's name be placed on the inactive
list of voters upon mailing of the notice and instead provides that the registrant shall be
placed on the inactive list of voters if he fails to respond to the address confirmation notice
within 30 days from the date the address confirmation notice was sent to the registrant.
Present law (R.S. 18:196) provides that the inactive list of voters shall consist of registrants
who have been mailed an address confirmation notice.
Proposed law instead provides that the inactive list of voters shall consist of registrants who
have been mailed an address confirmation notice and failed to respond to the notice within
30 days from the date the address confirmation notice was sent to the registrant.
Present law (R.S. 18:192(B)) provides for the Dept. of State to conduct an annual canvass
using information available in the state voter registration computer system to identify and
send address confirmation notice and transfer to the inactive list of voters registrants whose
name did not appear with a corrected address provided by the U.S. Postal Service and who
failed to engage in any of the following activities in the prior 10 years: vote in an election;
make an application for voter registration; request an absentee ballot; validly sign a petition
submitted to the registrar of voters for certification pursuant to law; change a name, address,
or party affiliation or nonaffiliation; make any other change in registration; or participate in
the nursing home program.
Proposed law repeals present law.
Proposed law (R.S. 18:202) provides that voter list maintenance, including the annual
canvass and the challenge and cancellation of voter registration, shall be conducted in a
uniform, nondiscriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law. Provides that no
registrant's registration shall be cancelled and no registrant shall be placed on the inactive
list of voters solely for failure to vote in any election or for any period of inactivity.
Proposed law provides that no registrant shall be identified for cancellation and no registrant
shall be placed on the inactive list of voters based upon political party affiliation, change in
party affiliation, or nonaffiliation. Provides that criteria for voter list maintenance shall be
applied equally to all recognized political parties and affiliated voters.
Proposed law provides that no systematic voter registration removal program shall be
conducted within 90 days of a fall election.
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Proposed law requires the legislative auditor to conduct annual compliance audits of voter
list maintenance procedures and report his findings to the legislature.
Proposed law (R.S. 18:203) requires the secretary of state to publish quarterly reports on his
official website in a searchable format including the following information:
(1) Total number of registered voters.
(2) Total number voters on the inactive list of voters.
(3) Total number of voters whose registration was cancelled during the reporting period.
(4) Total number of voters whose registration was cancelled during the reporting period,
categorized by parish, reason for cancellation, party affiliation, including unaffiliated
registrants, gender, and race.
Proposed law (R.S. 18:32) prohibits the secretary of state from transmitting sensitive voter
data to any federal agency unless required by federal law or court order or provided for in
a written intergovernmental agreement posted on the secretary of state's website for not less
than 30 days prior to transmission.
Proposed law provides that at least 30 days prior to the transmission of sensitive voter data,
the secretary of state shall notify each affected voter by mail, e-mail, SMS message, and
telephone notification informing the voter of the name of the receiving agency, the purpose
of the data transmission, the categories of data to be transmitted, and information on how the
voter may seek clarification or contest the transmission if permitted by law.
Proposed law provides that if immediate transmission is required by court order or federal
directive, notice shall be provided within thirty days after transmission unless prohibited by
the court order or federal directive.
Proposed law defines "sensitive voter data" as personally identifiable information contained
within the state voter registration computer system that is not publicly available under law,
including but not limited to full or partial social security numbers, driver's license numbers,
dates of birth, residential addresses where protected by law, contact information, and
identifiable voting history.
Proposed law (R.S. 18:33) requires the secretary of state to establish and maintain a
statewide voter status notification system to provide automated notifications by mail, e-mail,
SMS message, and telephone notification to a registered voter of address confirmation
requirements, placement of the voter on the inactive list of voters, risk of cancellation of his
voter registration, and cancellation of his voter registration.
Proposed law provides the initial notice shall be issued within five business days of any of
the events requiring notice, that a second notice shall be issued within 30 days of any of the
events requiring notice, and that a third notice shall be issued not less than 60 days prior to
cancellation of the voter's registration.
Proposed law provides that a voter's registration shall not be cancelled unless at least 90 days
have elapsed from the date the initial notice was issued.
Proposed law requires the secretary of state to provide to voters simple instructions to update
or verify registration online, by mail, or in person.
Proposed law (R.S. 18:34) establishes the La. Voter Data Transparency Task Force within
the Dept. of State.
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Proposed law provides for task force membership. Requires the task force to meet quarterly
to review and discuss the quarterly voter maintenance reports published pursuant to proposed
law; registration cancellation rates across gender, race, and party affiliation; and federal
data-sharing agreements.
Proposed law requires the task force to submit an annual report including its findings and
recommendations to the house and senate committees on governmental affairs no later than
Feb. 1st of each year.
Proposed law provides for quorum of the task force, member compensation, and staff
support.
(Amends R.S. 18:193(A), 195(A), and 196(A)(1); Adds R.S. 18:32, 33, 34, 202, and 203 and
R.S. 24:513(D)(9); Repeals R.S. 18:192(B))
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