Read the full stored bill text
HLS 26RS-496 ORIGINAL
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. 544
BY REPRESENTATIVE OWEN
ELECTIONS/INITIATIVE-REF: Authorizes a citizens advisory referendum election
1 AN ACT
2 To enact Chapter 6-F of Title 18 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, to be comprised
3 of R.S. 18:1300.41 through 1300.47, relative to a citizens advisory referendum; to
4 authorize a parish governing authority to call and hold an election relating to a
5 citizens advisory referendum; to provide for election dates; to provide for a petition
6 for a citizens advisory referendum election; to provide for the number of required
7 signatures; to provide for other signature requirements; to provide for the procedure
8 to file the petition; to provide for the duties of the secretary of state as it relates to the
9 citizens advisory referendum petition; to provide for the duties of the registrar of
10 voters as it relates to the citizens advisory referendum petition; to provide for the
11 duties of the chairman and vice chairman of the citizens advisory referendum
12 petition; to provide for the form of the citizens advisory referendum on the ballot;
13 to provide that an election for a citizens advisory referendum shall be conducted in
14 the same manner provided for in the Louisiana Election Code; to provide for the
15 results of the election; to provide that the results of the election are for advisory
16 purposes only; and to provide for related matters.
17 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
18 Section 1. Chapter 6-F of Title 18 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950,
19 comprised of R.S. 18:1300.41 through 1300.47, is hereby enacted to read as follows:
Page 1 of 9
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-496 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 544
1 CHAPTER 6-F. CITIZENS ADVISORY REFERENDUM
2 §1300.41. Citizens Advisory Referendum; Petition
3 A.(1) A parish governing authority may hold a parish wide referendum for
4 advisory purposes if at least ten percent of registered voters within the parish sign
5 a petition expressing their desire to have a certain matter on the ballot.
6 (2) Whenever a citizens advisory referendum is sought by the registered
7 voters within a parish, a petition shall be directed to the parish governing authority.
8 The petition shall be limited to the request that an election be called and held in the
9 parish for the purpose of putting a question on the ballot. No petition for a citizens
10 advisory referendum shall seek to put more than one question on the ballot.
11 (3) The secretary of state shall provide a form approved by the attorney
12 general to be used for the petition to call a citizens advisory referendum. Such form
13 shall include pre-printed line numbers and shall be in conformity with all other
14 provisions of this Chapter and R.S. 18:3. All citizens advisory referendum petitions
15 shall be on an approved form or on a form which contains the same information
16 required by the approved form, and any petition not on such a form shall be invalid.
17 B.(1) All signatures on a citizens advisory referendum petition shall be
18 handwritten.
19 (2) The petition shall be signed by at least ten percent of the total number of
20 registered voters of the parish wherein the citizens advisory referendum election is
21 petitioned.
22 C.(1) Prior to the entering of any signatures on a petition, the chairman
23 designated to represent the petitioners shall file with the secretary of state a copy of
24 the citizens advisory referendum petition which will be used and copies of a picture
25 identification that contain the name and signature of the chairman and vice chairman,
26 respectively, or copies of current utility bills, bank statements, government checks,
27 paychecks, or other government documents that show the name and address of the
28 chairman and vice chairman, respectively. Upon receipt of the citizens advisory
29 referendum petition, the secretary of state shall provide to the chairman and vice
Page 2 of 9
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-496 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 544
1 chairman, respectively, a document prepared by the secretary of state in conjunction
2 with the Louisiana Registrars of Voters Association, subject to approval as to content
3 by the attorney general, providing general information on petition requirements and
4 deadlines. Upon receipt of the citizens advisory referendum petition, the secretary
5 of state shall endorse thereon the fact and the date of filing, and this unsigned copy
6 of the citizens advisory referendum petition shall be a public record. A copy shall
7 be transmitted by the secretary of state to the registrar of voters for the parish in
8 which the citizens advisory referendum election is to be held. The chairman shall
9 list on the petition the parish where the citizens advisory referendum election is to
10 be held. The petition shall be considered filed when it is received in the office of the
11 secretary of state. Upon receipt of the citizens advisory referendum petition, the
12 secretary of state shall produce a report of the number of qualified electors in the
13 parish wherein the citizens advisory referendum election is sought as of the date of
14 receipt of the citizens advisory referendum petition and shall notify the registrar of
15 voters in the parish of the number of qualified electors in the parish for issuance of
16 the certification.
17 (2)(a) The signed and dated petition shall be submitted to the registrar of
18 voters for the parish where the citizens advisory referendum election is to be held not
19 later than one hundred eighty days after the day on which the copy of the petition
20 was filed with the secretary of state. If the final day for submitting the signed and
21 dated petition falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline for filing
22 such petition shall be on the next day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal
23 holiday. Upon receipt of the signed and dated petition, the registrar of voters shall
24 affix the date received and a page number to the front of each page of the petition.
25 (b) With the citizens advisory referendum petition, the chairman shall also
26 submit to the registrar of voters an affidavit verifying the number of signatures
27 submitted along with a statement that to the best of his knowledge all documents
28 submitted are originals and not photocopies.
Page 3 of 9
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-496 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 544
1 (3)(a) The chairman shall file notice with the registrar on the third day before
2 the petition is submitted to the registrar that he will submit the petition and the date
3 of such submission, unless such submission is made within three days prior to the
4 expiration of the period for submitting such petition. Such notice of submission shall
5 be a public record. If the notice filed with the registrar on the third day before the
6 petition is submitted includes a date for submitting the signed and dated petition
7 which falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or other legal holiday, the registrar shall so
8 inform the chairman and advise the chairman of the next day which is not a Saturday,
9 Sunday, or other legal holiday and on which the petition is to be submitted.
10 (b) The chairman shall provide written notice by certified mail, return receipt
11 requested, to the parish governing authority where the citizens advisory referendum
12 election is sought on the third day before the petition is submitted to the registrar.
13 D. Each elector, at the time of signing the petition, shall enter his address and
14 the date on which the elector signed beside or underneath his signature; however, if
15 a person is unable to write, as provided in R.S. 18:1300.43, the two witnesses shall
16 date their signatures. In addition, each petition shall be in compliance with the
17 provisions of R.S. 18:3. In determining the number of qualified electors who signed
18 the petition, the registrar of voters shall not count any signature which does not
19 comply with all of the requirements of R.S. 18:3 or bears a date prior to the date on
20 which the copy of the petition initially was filed with the secretary of state or after
21 the date of the submission of the petition to the registrar except as otherwise
22 provided in R.S. 18:1300.42(B). The registrar shall not receive or certify a petition
23 submitted to him for certification unless it is submitted to him timely.
24 §1300.42. Certification of registered voters; addition or withdrawal of signatures;
25 designation as a public record; form of names
26 A.(1)(a) The registrar of voters of the parish wherein a citizens advisory
27 referendum election is sought shall certify on the citizens advisory referendum
28 petition the number of names appearing thereon, the number of qualified electors of
29 the parish whose handwritten signatures appear on the petition, and the total number
Page 4 of 9
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-496 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 544
1 of electors within the parish as of the date of the filing of the petition with the
2 secretary of state. Each registrar shall indicate on the petition the names appearing
3 thereon who are not electors of the parish. Each person who participates in the
4 review of the names on the petition for certification by the registrar as required in
5 this Section shall initial each of those portions of the petition which the person
6 reviews for certification by the registrar.
7 (b) The registrar of voters for the parish in which the citizens advisory
8 referendum election is to be held may request and accept the assistance of employees
9 of the Department of State and registrars and deputy registrars of voters from other
10 parishes to complete the certification of the citizens advisory referendum petition.
11 Each person offering such assistance shall be considered a deputy registrar of the
12 requesting parish registrar for that purpose only.
13 (2) The registrar of voters shall complete the certification of the citizens
14 advisory referendum petition within thirty working days after it is presented to him
15 for that purpose.
16 B. The registrar of voters shall honor the written request of any voter who
17 either desires to have his handwritten signature stricken from the petition or desires
18 to have his handwritten signature added to the petition at any time after receipt of the
19 signed petition as provided in R.S. 18:1300.41(C) but prior to certification of the
20 petition or within five days after receipt of such signed petition, whichever is earlier.
21 If the deadline for removing or adding a signature to the petition falls on a Saturday,
22 Sunday, or legal holiday, then the next day which is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal
23 holiday shall be deemed to be the deadline for removing or adding a signature to the
24 petition. The written request of the voter shall include the name and address of the
25 voter, the signature of the voter, the date of birth of the voter, and the date.
26 C. When there is no registrar of voters, or deputy registrar of voters in a
27 parish, or in case of the absence or inability of that officer, the clerk of the district
28 court of the parish shall execute the certificate.
Page 5 of 9
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-496 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 544
1 D. When any officer designated in this Chapter refuses to execute the
2 certificates provided for, any signer of a citizens advisory referendum petition, or the
3 chairman or vice chairman designated to represent the signers, may compel the
4 execution of the certificates by summary process in the district court having
5 jurisdiction over the officer.
6 E. The registrar of voters shall comply with the provisions of R.S. 18:3 when
7 determining the number of qualified electors of the voting area who signed the
8 petition.
9 §1300.43. Signature to a citizens advisory referendum petition
10 No person may sign any name to a citizens advisory referendum other than
11 his own, except in a case where a person is unable to write, in which case the
12 incapacitated person shall affix his mark to the petition and the person circulating the
13 petition shall affix the name and address of the incapacitated person, as well as the
14 date on which the incapacitated person affixed his mark to the petition, provided he
15 does so in the presence of two witnesses who shall also sign their names as witnesses
16 to the mark.
17 §1300.44. Chairman and vice chairman designated in petition; petition designated
18 as a public record
19 A. The citizens advisory referendum petition shall designate a chairman to
20 act for the signers of the petition in all matters, and a vice chairman to act on order
21 of the chairman or in case of the death, disability, absence, or resignation of the
22 chairman. The petition shall include the full name, signature, and residence address
23 of the chairman and the vice chairman. The chairman and vice chairman each shall
24 be a qualified voter in the parish from which the citizens advisory referendum
25 election is being sought.
26 B. Ninety days following the signature of the first elector, the citizens
27 advisory referendum petition, including the name, address, and signature of each
28 elector who has signed thereon, becomes a public record. The chairman, or the vice
Page 6 of 9
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-496 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 544
1 chairman when acting as the chairman, shall be the custodian thereof. The petition
2 and the custodian shall be subject to all of the provisions of R.S. 44:31 et seq.
3 C. Upon the filing of the petition pursuant to R.S. 18:1300.41(C)(2), the
4 chairman, or the vice chairman when acting as chairman, shall no longer be the
5 custodian thereof.
6 §1300.45. Reason for a citizens advisory referendum stated in petition; form of
7 question
8 The petition shall contain the question to be submitted to the voters at an
9 election and shall have a clear statement that the results of the election are for
10 advisory purposes only and are non-binding. The form and preparation of the
11 question shall be in the manner prescribed in R.S. 18:1299.1.
12 §1300.46. Results of election
13 The majority of the votes cast shall determine the result of the citizens
14 advisory referendum election. If the matter on the citizens advisory referendum
15 ballot receives a majority of votes cast, the majority of voters will be deemed to be
16 in favor of the matter. Votes shall be tabulated and returns made, declared, and
17 promulgated as at a general election. The results of the citizens advisory referendum
18 election are for advisory purposes only.
19 §1300.47. Citizens Advisory referendum elections, conduct in accordance with
20 Election Code
21 Elections for a citizens advisory referendum shall be held under and in
22 accordance with the applicable provisions of the Louisiana Election Code, except as
23 otherwise specifically provided in this Chapter.
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 544 Original 2026 Regular Session Owen
Abstract: Authorizes a parish governing authority to hold a non-binding citizens advisory
referendum election if at least 10% of the registered voters in the parish sign a
petition.
Page 7 of 9
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-496 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 544
Proposed law authorizes a parish governing authority to hold a parish wide referendum for
advisory purposes if at least 10% of registered voters within the parish sign a petition
expressing their desire to have a certain matter on the ballot. Requires the petition for a
citizens advisory referendum to be directed to the parish governing authority. Provides that
the petition shall be limited to requesting an election be called and held in the parish for the
purpose of putting a question on the ballot and further provides that the petition shall be
limited to putting one question on the ballot, per petition. Requires the sec. of state to
provide a form approved by the attorney general to be used for the petition to call for a
citizens advisory referendum. Further provides for signature requirements for the petition
and for the signature threshold for the petition to be accepted. Provides for how a person,
who has been designated as chairman in the petition, is to file the petition with the sec. of
state. Provides for the duties of the sec. of state after receipt of the petition. Provides for
the duties of the registrar of voters after receipt of the petition.
Present law (R.S. 18:3) provides for required information to be contained in every petition
submitted to the registrar of voters. Provides for the duties of the registrar of voters relative
to certifying signatures on a petition.
Proposed law retains present law.
Proposed law provides that the registrar of voters of the parish wherein the citizens advisory
referendum is sought shall certify the number of signatures on the petition making sure each
signature collected is from an elector who resides in the parish where the citizens advisory
referendum is sought. Provides that the registrar of voters for the parish may request and
accept assistance from the Dept. of State in order to complete the certification of the petition.
Provides deadlines for when certification shall be completed. Provides for procedures to
allow the registrar of voters to have a signature added or withdrawn from the petition.
Provides for the certification of the petition in a parish where there is no registrar of voters
or deputy registrar of voters. Provides for procedures when an officer designated by
proposed law refuses to certify the petition.
Proposed law provides that no person can sign any name other than his own to a citizens
advisory referendum petition. Provides for procedures when a person is incapable of signing
his own name.
Proposed law provides that the citizens advisory referendum petition shall designate a
chairman and a vice chairman to act on behalf of the signers of the petition in all matters.
Provides that the chairman or vice chairman shall be the custodian of the petition until it is
filed.
Present law (R.S. 18:1299.1) provides that the preparation of a question or proposition to be
submitted to the voters at an election is the responsibility of the governing authority or other
entity calling the election or submitting the question or proposition. Provides that the
question or proposition shall be comprised of simple, unbiased, concise, and easily
understood language and be in the form of a question. Further provides that the proposition
or question shall not exceed 200 words in length and shall not include words that are struck
through, underscored, or in boldface type. Provides that the governing authority or other
entity shall be responsible for ensuring that the proposition is comprised of simple, unbiased,
concise, and easily understood language. Further provides that the sec. of state shall be
responsible for ensuring that the proposition does not exceed 200 words in length, does not
include words that are struck through, underscored, or in boldface type, and is in the form
of a question.
Proposed law retains present law and provides that the petition shall contain the question that
is to be submitted to the voters and shall also have a clear statement that the results of the
election are for advisory purposes only and are non-binding. Provides that the form and
preparation of the question shall be in the same manner prescribed in present law.
Page 8 of 9
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.
HLS 26RS-496 ORIGINAL
HB NO. 544
Proposed law provides that if the matter on the citizens advisory referendum ballot receives
a majority of votes cast it will be deemed that the majority of voters within the parish are in
favor of the matter. Provides that the results of the election are for advisory purposes only
and are non-binding.
Present law (R.S. 18:402) provides for prohibited election days. Provides for election dates
in a gubernatorial election year. Provides for election dates in a congressional election year.
Provides for election dates in an odd numbered, nongubernatorial election year. Provides
for special election dates. Provides for the election dates for a bond, tax, or other election
at which a proposition or question is to be submitted to the voters.
Proposed law retains present law.
(Adds R.S. 18:1300.41-1300.47)
Page 9 of 9
CODING: Words in struck through type are deletions from existing law; words underscored
are additions.