If you thought the Governor’s deleterious special session on crime was bad news for already marginalized communities across Louisiana, you ain’t seen anything yet!
Seriously, you didn’t think Louisiana’s Republican Party would place all of its eggs in one basket, did you? Why would Louisiana’s Republicans stop at regressive criminal justice policy, when they can add voter suppression to the mix? Let’s face it. There multiple ways to neutralize Black, Brown and poor residents. The state GOP seems happy to use them all.
These folks are playing the long game – chess, not checkers. And they are not taking any prisoners . . . well . . . actually, they are . . . considering the regressive criminal justice policies they just passed. But you know what we mean.
With the special session complete, the regular legislative session kicked off on Monday, March 11; and rest assured, the slate of bills being proposed did not disappoint – unless, of course, you actually believe in democracy and the right of every American citizen to freely participate in a government of, by and for the people. In that case, it . . . uh . . . it most definitely disappoints.
Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry has endorsed what she is calling the Department of State’s 2024 election integrity legislative package, claiming the bundle of bills “will further boost the integrity of our state’s election.”
In a statement released by her office ahead of the session, Sec. Landry also tipped her hat to her Republican colleagues in the state legislature, who have once again proven just how skilled they are at copying and pasting from the official voter suppression handbook.
Oddly enough, in the same press release, Sec. Landry said, “Louisiana has some of the most well-run elections in the nation . . .”
She is right.
During the 2022 midterm elections, nearly 1.4 million Louisianans participated; yet, then-Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin did not report a single irregularity or complaint connected to the election. Of course, not even that fact stopped Ardoin from pushing his own anti-voter legislation. In fact, the only thing that hindered voter suppression tactics from becoming entrenched in Louisiana law is that, for the past eight years, Louisiana could count on a moderate Democrat governor to veto such legislation if it made it to his desk. With Jeff Landry now occupying the governor’s mansion, we can no longer rely on veto power to shield us.
Sec. Landry concluded her statement about Louisiana having a good track record when it comes to the operation of elections by adding that “there is always room for improvement.” Of course, she has to justify pushing more useless, superfluous legislation that undermines democracy. With nothing else to stand on, she offered the ambiguous “always room for improvement” argument.
But we know better.
To be sure, these bills are not designed to safeguard the voting process. They are not designed to ensure that fraud does not creep into our elections. And they most certainly have not been drafted to encourage, protect and increase voting.
Instead, every last one of these legislative proposals are being proposed to make it harder for citizens to vote, make it easier to purge voters from the rolls or to, in some manner, dilute voting power.
How do we know these proposals are little more that voter suppression tactics that Republicans are trying to pass off as protectors of integrity? The short answer is because we can read. The slightly longer one is that we know bull crap when we read it.
A Look at the Legislature’s Voter Suppression Bills
Here are just some of the election and voting related bills the Louisiana legislature will be considering during the regular session with some insight as to why they must be called out for what they really are — voter suppression tactics:
HB 114 by Representative Les Farnum to enact an expanded voter canvass to further ensure that Louisiana’s voter rolls are accurate.
This is one that former Sec. Ardoin repeatedly tried to get passed during his time in office. Last year, a similar bill, also submitted by Farnum, made it through the legislature but was vetoed by former Gov. John Bel Edwards. Louisiana already has an annual canvassing process. This is nothing more than an attempt to increase opportunity to get voters off the rolls.
HB 476 by Representative Josh Carlson to further crackdown on absentee ballot harvesting.
Go ahead. You are not alone. Do not be ashamed. Ask. What is ballot harvesting, right? We suspect more than a few people will pose that question – a pretty good sign that this bill is a useless overreach designed to deter, rather than help voters. So what is ballot harvesting? Simply, it is the legal process designated for allowing a third-party to return an absentee ballot to the registrar of voters on behalf of the absentee voter. Here’s the thing, other than military personnel and people who will be out of town during early voting and/or election day, absentee voting is pretty much reserved for those who otherwise qualify, namely the elderly, disabled and sick. And Louisiana law already states that an absentee ballot can be returned by mail or in person directly to the local registrar of voters’ office. Current law further stipulates that no one other an absentee ballot voter’s immediate family member can return more than one ballot in person on the behalf of voters. Now. Rep. Carlson wants to further hamstring voters that cannot physically make it to the polls by adding the same stipulation to ballots returned by mail, so that no one other than an immediate family member can send more than one absentee ballot via the postal service. This is what we mean by superfluous. By the way, how is this going to be monitored? Are we going to dust absentee ballots for fingerprints now? And whose going to pay for that?
HB 285 by Representative Mark Wright to create the Division of Election Integrity within the Department of State
Speaking of superfluous. The Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State is the agency responsible for ensuring the integrity of elections in Louisiana. Seriously, that is one of the chief roles of this office, arguably the most important of its functions. It is right there on the website. Rep. Wright wants to expend valuable time and finite fiscal resources to create a division inside of a state agency to do the work that said agency is already responsible for doing and actually does quite efficiently and effectively. It is like putting a mini fridge inside of a large capacity, side-by-side refrigerator under the supposition that the tiny refrigerator will somehow make the bigger one work better.
SB 155 and SB 218 by Senator Caleb Kleinpeter to, respectively, prohibit individuals from assisting with more than one absentee ballot, except for immediate family members and to restrict the unsolicited distribution of absentee ballot applications
Just like Rep. Carlson’s HB 776, Sen. Kleinpeter’s bills are designed to stop voter advocacy organizations and concerned individuals from assisting groups of eligible voters in exercising their right to cast absentee ballots. We are not talking about organizations and individuals telling people how to vote, but rather aiding them to ensure that absentee ballots are readily available to those that need them, that they are completed correctly and returned in a timely fashion. For senior citizens, nursing home residents or hospitalized voters, requesting an absentee ballot can be an arduous task. Not allowing absentee ballots to be distributed en masse at a nursing home, for instance, is intentionally designed to curtail the number of eligible absentee ballot voters that participate..
HB 581 by Representative Polly Thomas to provide for more specific penalties for those witnessing more than one absentee ballot of a non-family member; to require that those signing as a witness on an absentee ballot be at least 18 years of age; and to require the witness to provide their address
Well, if HB 476, SB 155 and SB 218 pass, the Republicans need to know where to find the daring souls that risked it all to help, not one, but at least two people they were not related to by blood with correctly completing and returning absentee ballots so that they can have that person arrested on spurious election fraud charges.
HB 506 by Representative Polly Thomas to require that those conducting voter registration drives register with the Secretary of State’s office, ensuring that registrations are timely submitted and that voters’ personal information is further protected
Y’all tried it. But we know better. Requiring those who conduct voter registration drives to register with the Secretary of State’s office in not about protecting voters’ information or ensuring the timeliness of the process. We do not believe that for one second. It does however open the door to scrutinize and unduly investigate the activity of community organizations and individuals that work to ensure that their friends and neighbors are registered to vote.
SB 226 by Senator Heather Cloud to create uniform standards for tabulating absentee ballots
We searched, but could not find the exact date that the state of Louisiana began offering and accepting absentee ballots. Surely, we can agree that it has been happening for long while. Does Sen. Cloud want us to believe that in 2024 there is no consistent method for “counting” absentee ballots? If that is the case, we suspect there is a class of Kindergarten students somewhere that can help – 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . Come on guys, keep up.
Of course, this proposed law is not about tabulating ballots, but challenging them. In fact, present law already outlines steps for preparing, verifying and counting absentee votes as well as who can challenge such ballots and why. What Cloud wants to do is expand ways an absentee ballot can be challenged and possibly go uncounted. For instance, the proposed change specifically targets absentee ballots where the affidavit flap is missing the signature of the voter, signature of the witness or the voter’s mother maiden name. Under the proposed change, such an occurrence will automatically trigger a challenge with no need for a candidate, member of the local election board or qualified elector to raise an official objection to the ballot. Forget to put your mother’s maiden name, and your ballot is automatically at risk.
It’s not lost on us that many of these proposals would work in tandem. Absent-mindedly forgetting to sign one’s name or to write your mother’s maiden name on the flap might happen a lot more if voter advocates are no longer allowed to assist groups of absentee voters, particularly elderly and disabled voters who might need extra assistance.
HB 449 by Representative Michael Melerine to require court judgments of interdiction be delivered to the Registrar of Voters in the parish in which the interdicted individual is registered
This is an example of Republicans grasping at straws in search of proof for their baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in order to justify their voter suppression efforts. First of all, judgments of interdiction do not automatically mean that a person can no longer vote. Unless a judgment of interdiction — a court order that limits an individual’s ability to make decisions about his or her person or property, usually because a physical or mental infirmity — specifically states that the right to vote is interdicted, then that person’s right to vote is still intact. But hey, let’s waste more taxpayer money and government employee’s time to catch the one guy whose been mailing in absentee ballots for his comatose uncle for the last 25 years.
This is just some of the laws aimed at voter suppression that will be taken up during the impending legislative session and just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the destructive policies we can expect to emanate from both the governor and the Republican-led legislature. More importantly, the direction of state is taking underscores the importance of each and every eligible voting exercise the right.
After Jeff Landry was declared governor last fall, we could only caution our readers and followers to strap in tight for a hell of a ride. Two months down. At least 46 to go. Keep your seat belts fastened and tray tables in the locked and upright position.