Louisiana Revised Statutes 18:1461.7 – Miscellaneous election offenses; penalties
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 18:1461.7
- Clerk of court: An officer appointed by the court to work with the chief judge in overseeing the court's administration, especially to assist in managing the flow of cases through the court and to maintain court records.
- Election official: means :
(a) The parish board of election supervisors. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 18:1466
- person: includes a body of persons, whether incorporated or not. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:10
A. No person shall knowingly, willfully, or intentionally:
(1) Fail to submit to the parish registrar of voters a completed registration application collected through a registration drive within thirty days of receipt of the completed application from the applicant.
(2) As a voter, election official, watcher, or person assisting a voter, allow a ballot to be seen, except as provided by law; announce the manner in which a person has cast his ballot; place a distinguishing mark on a ballot with intent to make the ballot identifiable, or make a false statement concerning ability to mark a ballot without assistance.
(3) When assisting a voter in voting, fail to mark the ballot or vote in the manner dictated by the voter.
(4) Being a physician, optometrist, physician assistant as defined in La. Rev. Stat. 37:1360.22, or nurse practitioner as defined in La. Rev. Stat. 37:913 certify to the disability of a voter under this Title or certify that a person will be hospitalized on election day, knowing such information to be false.
(5) Transmit or otherwise provide false or misleading information concerning an election from a source disguised to appear to be or while impersonating the secretary of state, a registrar of voters, a clerk of court, or other election official.
(6) Breach any mandatory provision of this Title.
B. Whoever violates any provision of Subsection A of this Section shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. On a second offense, or any subsequent offense, the penalty shall be a fine of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.
C. No person shall:
(1) Possess any beverage of alcoholic content in a polling place after having been directed by a registrar or deputy registrar, commissioner-in-charge, commissioner or law enforcement officer providing assistance to maintain order at the polling place to remove or dispose of the beverage.
(2) Appear at a polling place in an intoxicated condition.
(3) Carry or possess a firearm while present in a polling place, except a peace officer as defined by La. Rev. Stat. 40:2402(3)(a), in the performance of his official duties.
D. Whoever violates any provision of Subsection C of this Section shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or be imprisoned for not more than six months, or both. On a second offense or any subsequent offense, the penalty shall be a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.
Acts 2010, No. 797, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2011; Acts 2020, No. 28, §1, eff. June 4, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 381, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 2022.