emergency election plan
Louisiana’s GOP lawmakers now support COVID-19 accommodations for upcoming elections
Two state legislative committees on Tuesday unanimously approved a proposed emergency election plan that would offer mail-in ballots and other coronavirus-related accommodations for voters to use in municipal races this spring, two special congressional elections and a special state House race in February. Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin presented the plan to the Senate […]
Gov. Edwards is sent a bill that creates a new way of crafting emergency election plans and doesn’t diminish his power
The Louisiana Legislature passed a bill Friday that changes the way the state adopts an emergency election plan and allows for some extra accommodations for early voting during such emergencies. Senate Bill 20, introduced by Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, allows the secretary of state to present multiple versions of an emergency election plan to a […]
Bill is overhauled to streamline emergency election plans and expand early voting
A bill that initially would have removed the governor’s power to veto emergency election plans underwent wholesale changes Tuesday with an amendment that would retain the governor’s veto power and streamline the process Louisiana uses to provide special accommodations for voters during an emergency. The bill also seeks to expand early voting locations. With no […]
Republican ‘hyper partisan’ attempt to curtail governor’s power could decrease access to the polls
When state Sen. Sharon Hewitt was taking questions from her Senate colleagues Oct. 1 about a bill she’d drafted to weaken the governor’s role in establishing an emergency election plan, Sen. Regina Barrow asked Hewitt point blank, “Is this a method to try to suppress the vote?” Though Hewitt, a Slidell Republican, had previously expressed […]
Appeal of Louisiana’s emergency election rules comes too late to change Nov. 3 rules
In a move that has the potential to confuse Louisiana residents who will start voting Friday for president, the U.S. Senate and U.S. Congress, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry on Tuesday appealed a federal judge’s ruling that establishes the emergency rules for that election. However, the appeal will […]
Bill reducing governor’s say on emergency election plans passes Louisiana Senate
The Louisiana Senate passed a bill Thursday that greatly reduces the say the governor has in approving an emergency election plan. The legislation passed the bill introduced by Sen. Sharon Hewitt, R-Slidell, with a 22-12 vote. The vote follows a contentious battle over the current COVID-19 emergency election plan with Gov. John Bel Edwards on […]
By ordering a pandemic emergency election plan, federal judge does what Kyle Ardoin should have
Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin should have fought for Louisiana voters who demanded a way to cast their ballots in November and December without risking exposure to the novel coronavirus. Louisiana has been hit particularly hard by that virus and continues to lead the country in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per capita. […]
Emergency election plan courtroom fight begins with plaintiffs winning a battle
Louisiana voters who say they will be disenfranchised by the state’s absence of a pandemic-related emergency election plan will begin making their case to U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick this morning. But Dick, the chief judge of the federal court in Baton Rouge, issued a ruling yesterday that suggests she’s skeptical of the state’s argument […]
Federal judge sets Sept. 8 hearing regarding Louisiana’s election plans
Louisiana residents who have accused Gov. John Bel Edwards and Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin of disregarding their safety by not creating an emergency election plan that will allow them to safely vote will have their day in federal court Sept. 8. Ardoin, a Republican, presented an emergency election plan last week that Republican-led […]
DEBERRY: Louisiana voters may not get a chance to trust the post office with their ballots
It quickly becomes clear when talking with Mary Frances Berry about voting that the former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights doesn’t do talking points. Four years ago, as we spoke about her book on the lingering practice of vote-buying — she calls it “Five Dollars and a Pork Chop Sandwich” — Berry […]