LA Voters Can Now Request Absentee Ballots

The Louisiana Secretary of State's Office Launched its Absentee Ballot Request Form as part of an Election Plan to Protect Voters amid the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Louisiana Election Law Requires that Voters meet One of Several Reasons to be Eligible to Vote Absentee. Secretary of State, Kyle Ardoin (R), in Coordination with Gov. John Bel Edwards (D), pushed to Expand this to Include Voters with Concerns about Coronavirus Exposure.

The Expansion was included in a Revised Plan Passed by the Republican-led State Legislature last week. The Absentee Ballot Request Form is now Available on Ardoin's Website. The New Absentee Ballot Form will Only Apply to the State's Upcoming July Presidential Primary and August Municipal General Election, but Not the November Presidential Election.

The Expanded Acceptable Reasons for a Voter to Request an Absentee Ballot include being at High Risk because of Underlying Medical Conditions, being Subject to a Medically Necessary Quarantine or Isolation Order, being Advised by a Health Care Provider to Self-Quarantine, Experiencing Covid-19 Symptoms and Seeking a Medical Diagnosis, and Caring for Someone who is Subject to a Quarantine or Isolation Order and has been Advised to Self-Quarantine.

"This is a great result for Louisiana's voters and election workers, especially those most susceptible to the COVID-19 virus," Ardoin said in a Statement when the Plan was Approved. "Our plan serves as a pragmatic and temporary response to the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging our nation."

Other Election Changes that State Election Officials are Implementing include: the Relocation of Polling Sites and the Expansion of the Number of Early Voting Days. "Obviously we want as many people to vote as possible, and we want it to be as safe as possible...we are preparing for an influx," Ardoin Spokesman, Tyler Brey said.

Brey said Louisiana has a High In-Person Voting Rate and that Election Officials are hopeful that the Pandemic will Eventually Slow Down this Election year to a Point where People will be Comfortable and Safe to Vote In-Person.

The New Election Plan is already getting Pushback from Voting Rights Groups. On Thursday, a Federal Lawsuit seeking a More Robust Expansion to the Plan was brought by the the NAACP, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and Four Individual Voters. The Lawsuit looks to Completely Eliminate the Need for "an excuse" for Vote-by-Mail, therefore Broadening the Option to Everyone.

Cases of Coronavirus in Louisiana have Surpassed 30,000, with more than 2,200 Deaths, according to Data from the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Louisiana was the First State to Postpone its Presidential Primary. It was Initially moved from April 4th to June 20th, but Edwards later Signed a Proclamation moving the Election a Second time, to July 11th.










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