Dear Governor Edwards,
In Louisiana, we do elections well. We have our election results in a manner of hours, not days and weeks. We are ranked first in the South by the Electoral Integrity Project and sixth in the nation by the Heritage Foundation for our record of election integrity. The Louisiana Legislative Auditor praised our department for its election policies and procedures.
This record of excellence, however, did not happen on its own. Working with the legislature, we have passed measures to ensure that our state has policies in place to ensure safe, secure, and accurate elections. One of the most important of those policies is our annual voter canvass.
Every year, all 64 registrars of voters send canvass cards to individuals who have changed their address through the United States Postal Service’s National Change of Address program. Any voters who respond to this mailer have their registrations updated accordingly. Those who do not are moved to the inactive voter list, where they then have two federal elections to confirm their address or vote to become active again.
However, we need additional tools to address other voters. One of the bills in our legislative package, House Bill 646 by Representative Les Farnum, would authorize my office to conduct a canvass of a completely different data set.
This bill would require that the Department of State and registrars send canvass cards to people who have not voted or had any other voter activity in 10 years or more, yet still remain on the voter rolls. These are people who might have moved out of state or passed away. It is an entirely different set of people than those contacted during the current annual canvass.
In last year’s veto message, you state: “it is simply unnecessary.” You cite the fact that the “registrar of voters in each parish is already required to conduct an annual canvass.” Yet, your message ignores the fact that it is an entirely different subset of data used in each of these canvasses. This is not a duplication of efforts nor an overlap of voters. Instead, the additional subset of data would allow us to canvass voters with absolutely no voter activity over the past 10 years. Voters would have an opportunity to respond to the canvass; and even then, would not be removed from the voter rolls. They would be placed on the inactive list for an additional two federal elections.
While you fear removing “eligible voters from the rolls,” this legislation does not do that. This bill is a necessary tool to address ineligible voters who have remained on our voter rolls long after they have died or moved out of state, including one individual who is 142 years old.
Your reasons are contrary to the recommendations of the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. Your veto is contrary to an overwhelming majority of the legislature, who have passed a version of this bill three years in a row. Your veto is at odds with the individuals of this state who demand and deserve accurate voter rolls. Your veto is simply echoing talking points from out-of-state activists who fight election integrity at all levels and have no hands-on experience with Louisiana’s elections.
This legislation would not impact the voters we contact in the current annual canvass, and it would give my office an additional tool to help keep the voter registration list clean. Election integrity demands that we have up-to-date information, and this bill would help keep the voter rolls as accurate as possible.
We ask that you do the right thing after two years of ignoring the election experts and the will of the legislature by signing HB 646 into law.
Sincerely,
Kyle Ardoin