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HB359 • 2026

ELECTIONS/CANDIDATES: Provides relative to the death of a candidate for a party primary office who is not affiliated with a major political party (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

ELECTIONS/CANDIDATES: Provides relative to the death of a candidate for a party primary office who is not affiliated with a major political party (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

Elections
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
Beau Beaullieu
Last action
2026-06-03
Official status
Signed by the Governor - Act 639
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on what happens when there are no other candidates left for an office after one dies. This claim was removed as it is unsupported by the provided text.

Elections and Candidates: Rules for When a Candidate Dies

This act changes Louisiana election laws to remove the name of a candidate who dies after qualifying but before an election, and it makes sure their votes are not counted.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds rules about what happens if someone running in a party primary election for an office they're not officially part of (like being a member of a major political party) passes away.
  • Requires that the name of a candidate who dies after the qualifying period but before voting day is removed from the ballot.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Candidates who run in party primary elections but aren't part of major political parties
  • Voters who would have seen these candidates' names on their ballots

Terms To Know

Major Political Party
A well-known and established political group, like the Democratic or Republican party.
Qualifying Period
The time when candidates officially declare their intention to run for office.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This act only applies to candidates who are not part of major political parties.
  • It does not specify what happens if a candidate dies during the qualifying period or after voting day but before election results are finalized.

Amendments

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

Filed

Plain English: SSHB359 4311 5259 HOUSE SUMMARY OF SENATE AMENDMENTS HB 359 2026 Regular Session Beaullieu ELECTIONS/CANDIDATES: Provides relative to the death of a candidate for a party primary office who is not affiliated with a major political party Synopsis of Senate Amendments 1.

  • SSHB359 4311 5259 HOUSE SUMMARY OF SENATE AMENDMENTS HB 359 2026 Regular Session Beaullieu ELECTIONS/CANDIDATES: Provides relative to the death of a candidate for a party primary office who is not affiliated with a major political party Synopsis of Senate Amendments 1.
  • Provides that when a major party candidate qualifies for the general election in a special election held to fill an unexpired term and there are no other remaining candidates for the general election then the qualified candidate is declared elected by the people and shall be certified.
  • 2.
  • Provides for effectiveness.
Filed

Plain English: The amendment rejects all Senate amendments to HB359 without specifying what those amendments were.

  • Rejects all Senate amendments proposed to HB359.
  • The specific details of the rejected Senate amendments are not provided, so their content and impact cannot be described.
Adopted

Plain English: SFAHB359 539 2774 SENATE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senator Reese to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • SFAHB359 539 2774 SENATE FLOOR AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senator Reese to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 359 by Representative Beaullieu 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, below line 18, add the following: 3 "Section 2.
  • This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor 4 or, if not signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law 5 without signature by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the 6 Constitution of Louisiana.
Adopted

Plain English: SCAHB359 4869 2526 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • SCAHB359 4869 2526 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 359 by Representative Beaullieu 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 2, after "18:410.8(C)", insert "and 410.9(C)" 3 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 4 On page 1, line 9, delete the line and insert the following: 5 "Section 1.
Draft

Plain English: SCAHB359 4869 2483 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to Engrossed House Bill No.

  • SCAHB359 4869 2483 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to Engrossed House Bill No.
  • 359 by Representative Beaullieu 1 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 1 2 On page 1, line 2, after "18:410.8(C)", insert "and 410.9(C)" 3 AMENDMENT NO.
  • 2 4 On page 1, line 9, delete the line and insert the following: 5 "Section 1.

Bill History

  1. 2026-06-03 H

    Effective date: 06/03/2026.

  2. 2026-06-03 H

    Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 639.

  3. 2026-06-02 H

    Sent to the Governor for executive approval.

  4. 2026-06-01 S

    Signed by the President of the Senate.

  5. 2026-06-01 H

    Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.

  6. 2026-05-31 H

    Notice of Senate adoption of Conference Committee Report.

  7. 2026-05-31 S

    Conference Committee Report read; adopted by a vote of 33 yeas and 0 nays.

  8. 2026-05-31 S

    Notice House adopted the Conference Committee Report.

  9. 2026-05-31 H

    Conference Committee Report read, roll called, yeas 94, nays 0. The Conference Committee Report was adopted.

  10. 2026-05-27 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 05/31/2026.

  11. 2026-05-26 H

    Conference Committee report received. Lies over under the rules.

  12. 2026-05-26 S

    Conference committee report received.

  13. 2026-05-25 H

    Notice of Senate conferees appointed.

  14. 2026-05-21 S

    Senate conference committee members appointed: Reese, Cathey, and McMath.

  15. 2026-05-19 S

    Notice House Conference Committee members appointed.

  16. 2026-05-19 H

    House conferees appointed: Beaullieu, Boudreaux, and Hebert.

  17. 2026-05-13 S

    Notice House rejected the Senate amendments.

  18. 2026-05-13 H

    Read by title, roll called, yeas 96, nays 0, Senate amendments rejected, conference committee appointment pending.

  19. 2026-05-13 H

    Called from the calendar.

  20. 2026-05-13 H

    Read by title, returned to the calendar.

  21. 2026-05-12 H

    Scheduled for concurrence on 05/13/2026.

  22. 2026-05-07 H

    Received from the Senate with amendments.

  23. 2026-05-07 S

    Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title, passed by a vote of 34 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

  24. 2026-04-28 S

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

  25. 2026-04-27 S

    Committee amendments read and adopted. Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.

  26. 2026-04-22 S

    Reported with amendments.

  27. 2026-03-31 S

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

  28. 2026-03-30 S

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

  29. 2026-03-30 H

    Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 100, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.

  30. 2026-03-26 H

    Scheduled for floor debate on 03/30/2026.

  31. 2026-03-25 H

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

  32. 2026-03-24 H

    Reported favorably (11-0).

  33. 2026-03-09 H

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

  34. 2026-02-27 H

    First appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.

  35. 2026-02-24 H

    Under the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.

  36. 2026-02-24 H

    Prefiled.

Official Summary Text

ELECTIONS/CANDIDATES: Provides relative to the death of a candidate for a party primary office who is not affiliated with a major political party (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
ENROLLED
ACT No. 6392026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 359
BY REPRESENTATIVE BEAULLIEU
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 18:410.8(C) and 410.9(C), relative to candidates who are not affiliated with
3 a major political party; to provide for qualifying for the general election for a party
4 primary office; to provide for the death of a candidate following the close of the
5 qualifying period; to provide for the removal of the deceased candidate's name from
6 the ballot; to provide relative to the counting of votes under certain circumstances;
7 and to provide for related matters.
8 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
9 Section 1. R.S. 18:410.8(C) and 410.9(C) are hereby enacted to read as follows:
10 §410.8. Candidates not affiliated with a major political party; qualifying for the
11 general election; death of a candidate
12 * * *
13 C. If a person who qualified as a candidate pursuant to this Section dies after
14 the close of the qualifying period and before the time for closing the polls on the day
15 of the general election, the name of the deceased candidate shall not be printed on
16 the general election ballot. If the general election ballot was printed with the
17 deceased candidate's name on it, any votes received by the deceased candidate shall
18 be void and shall not be counted for any purpose whatsoever.
19 §410.9. Nomination of candidates in a party primary election; general election;
20 unopposed candidate
21 * * *
22 C. If a major party candidate qualifies for the general election pursuant to this
23 Section or R.S. 18:410.7 in a special election held to fill an unexpired term and there
24 are no other remaining candidates for the general election then the qualified
25 candidate is declared elected by the people and shall be certified pursuant to R.S.
26 18:513.
Page 1 of 2
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HB NO. 359 ENROLLED
1 Section 2. This Act shall become effective upon signature by the governor or, if not
2 signed by the governor, upon expiration of the time for bills to become law without signature
3 by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana. If
4 vetoed by the governor and subsequently approved by the legislature, this Act shall become
5 effective on the day following such approval.
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.