PUBLIC MEETINGS: Provides for electronic voting requirements under the Open Meetings Law. (8/1/26)

Elections

Enacted

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

Sponsor: Samuel Jenkins
Last action: 2026-05-15
Official status: Signed by the Governor - Act 220
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on how electronic votes should be displayed or recorded.

Public Meetings Voting Requirements

This act changes Louisiana's Open Meetings Law to allow public bodies to use electronic voting machines for votes, provided that the vote is displayed and recorded.

What This Bill Does

Changes the law so that public meetings can now use electronic voting machines.
Requires that any vote made electronically must be shown clearly and recorded in writing.

Who It Names or Affects

Public bodies in Louisiana
Members of public bodies who vote

Terms To Know

viva voce: A way of voting where people speak their choices out loud.

Limits and Unknowns

The act does not specify how electronic votes should be displayed or recorded.
It is unclear if this change applies to all public meetings or just some of them.

Amendments

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

Senate Committee Amendment #1300 S&G Adopted

Adopted

Plain English: SCASB1 471 1300 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to Original Senate Bill No.

SCASB1 471 1300 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to Original Senate Bill No.
1 by Senator Jenkins 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, line 10, after "document." delete the remainder of the line and delete lines 11 3 through 13 and insert the following: 4 "Any vote by an individual member of a public body that is displayed and 5 recorded using electronic machines shall satisfy the concept of viva voce 6 voting requirements of the Open Meetings Law." Page 1 of 1

Senate Committee Amendment #1294 S&G Draft

Draft

Plain English: SCASB1 471 1294 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to Original Senate Bill No.

SCASB1 471 1294 SENATE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS 2026 Regular Session Amendments proposed by Senate Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs to Original Senate Bill No.
1 by Senator Jenkins 1 AMENDMENT NO.
1 2 On page 1, line 10, after "document." delete the remainder of the line and delete lines 11 3 through 13 and insert the following: 4 "Any vote by an individual member of a public body that is displayed and 5 recorded using electronic machines shall satisfy the concept of viva voce 6 voting requirements of the Open Meetings Law." Page 1 of 1

Bill History

2026-05-15 S
Effective date 8/1/2026.
2026-05-15 S
Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 220.
2026-05-13 S
Sent to the Governor by the Secretary of the Senate.
2026-05-12 H
Signed by the Speaker of the House.
2026-05-12 S
Enrolled. Signed by the President of the Senate.
2026-05-11 S
Received from the House without amendments.
2026-05-07 H
Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 88, nays 4. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.
2026-05-06 H
Scheduled for floor debate on 05/07/2026.
2026-05-05 H
Read by title, passed to 3rd reading.
2026-04-29 H
Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.
2026-04-28 H
Reported favorably (12-0). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.
2026-04-01 H
Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.
2026-03-31 H
Received in the House from the Senate, read by title, lies over under the rules.
2026-03-31 S
Read by title, passed by a vote of 30 yeas and 0 nays, and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.
2026-03-30 S
Read by title. Committee amendments read and adopted. Ordered engrossed and passed to third reading and final passage.
2026-03-25 S
Reported with amendments.
2026-03-09 S
Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs.
2026-01-12 S
Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs.

Official Summary Text

PUBLIC MEETINGS: Provides for electronic voting requirements under the Open Meetings Law. (8/1/26)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

2026 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE BILL NO. 1
BY SENATOR JENKINS AND REPRESENTATIVES BACALA, CARRIER, FISHER,
JACKSON, LAFLEUR, LARVADAIN, LYONS, MARCELLE,
NEWELL AND WALTERS
1 AN ACT
2 To amend and reenact R.S. 42:14(C), relative to the Open Meetings Law; to provide for viva
3 voce voting; to provide for electronic voting; and to provide for related matters.
4 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
5 Section 1. R.S. 42:14(C) is hereby amended and reenacted to read as follows:
6 §14. Meetings of public bodies to be open to the public
7 * * *
8 C. All votes made by members of a public body shall be viva voce and shall
9 be recorded in the minutes, journal, or other official, written proceedings of the body,
10 which shall be a public document. Any vote by an individual member of a public
11 body that is displayed and recorded using electronic machines shall satisfy the
12 concept of viva voce voting requirements of the Open Meetings Law.
13 * * *
14 Section 2. The provisions of this Act shall be applied retroactively.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF LOUISIANA
APPROVED:
ACT No. 220
Page 1 of 1
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.