New Louisiana laws impacting absentee voting take effect in August

NEW ORLEANS ( WGNO ) — Several new Louisiana laws that will impact absentee voting will take effect Aug. 1 and will be implemented ahead of the presidential election.

These new laws are a part of the state’s election integrity legislative package.

According to Secretary of State Nancy Landry, the laws will further boost Louisiana’s election integrity policies and procedures.

However, some experts believe they may be restrictive.

Under Act 380 , voters may only mail in one ballot that doesn’t belong to them or an immediate family member.

“It basically like an attempt to constrict the process and access to voting for people who may have a challenge to physically go to the polls or have someone assist them,” said Dr. Silas Lee, a pundit and sociologist.

Act 302 prevents anyone besides immediate family members or a registrar’s employee from assisting more than one voter with an absentee ballot.

Lee says the laws could potentially have a negative impact on both Republican and Democrat voters.

“Because we have seen that when you try to constrict access to the ballot box, it doesn’t necessarily limit itself to one particular party affiliation,” explained Lee.

Act 321 will allow boards of election supervisors to challenge absentee ballots that are missing information.

If the challenge is sustained, the vote will not be counted.

Lee says the election integrity legislative package appears to be a policy without evidence of a problem.

“We haven’t seen evidence about accelerated fraud in reference to mail-in voting,” Lee said. “That’s the interesting thing is that we see a lot of focus about it, but where is the proof?”

Two other laws will take effect next year.

Under Act 317 , absentee ballot applications from older adults and people with disabilities will expire after four years.

Act 712 requires absentee ballot witnesses to be 18 or older.

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