§ 18:3 — Petitions submitted to registrars of voters

§3. Petitions submitted to registrars of voters
A. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, every petition
submitted to a registrar of voters for certification shall contain the following information:
(1) The handwritten signature of the voter who is signing the petition; however, if
a person is unable to write, the incapacitated person shall affix his mark to the petition and
the person circulating the petition shall affix the name of the incapacitated person, provided
that he does so in the presence of two witnesses who shall also sign their names as witnesses
to the mark.
(2) The month, day, and year that the voter signed the petition.
(3) The signer's year of birth.
(4) The address at which the signer is registered to vote, including municipal
number, apartment number, rural route, and box number.
(5) The name of the signer either typed or legibly written.
(6) The printed name of the person who witnessed and who obtained the signature
either typed or legibly written.
(7) The month, day, and year on which the person witnessed and obtained the
signature.
B. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the notice of
endorsement of a petition to be submitted to the registrar for certification may be made by
hand delivery.
C. Whenever the registrar is required to certify signatures on a petition pursuant to
any provision of the constitution or laws of this state, the registrar shall not honor the written
request of any voter or signatory who either desires to have his signature stricken from the
petition or desires to have his signature added to the petition unless such addition or deletion
is expressly authorized by law. The chairman or other person responsible for the filing of
the petition with the registrar shall file notice with the registrar three days prior to submission
of the petition for certification, unless such submission is done within three days prior to the
expiration of the period for submission of the petition for certification. Such notice shall be
a public record.
D. In determining the number of persons signing the petition who are electors in the
voting area for the purpose of certifying the petition, the registrar shall not include any person
who has not affixed to the petition his signature and the address at which he is registered to
vote, any person whose signature has not been verified by the registrar, or any person whose
name does not appear on the registrar's roll of electors. To verify a signature on a petition,
the registrar shall compare the handwritten signature on the petition with the signature on the
original application card or any subsequent signature in the records of the registrar, including
but not limited to precinct registers and affidavits filed pursuant to the provisions of R.S.
18:111(C), or any microfilm, microfiche, or scanned or electronically captured computerized
images of such documents. If the signatures are sufficiently alike to identify the person who
signed the petition as the person who is the registered voter, the signature shall be verified.
The signature of an elector shall include the surname under which the elector is registered
to vote. The signature may include the elector's surname, first, and middle name, the initials
of his surname, first, and middle name, or any combination thereof as the form in which his
name appears on the petition, but shall not designate a title, designation, or deceptive name,
nor shall it designate an occupational or professional description or abbreviation. However,
the signature of a married woman may include her husband's surname, first, and middle
name, the initials of his surname, first, and middle name, or any combination thereof,
preceded by the title "Mrs." as the form in which her name appears on the petition, but only
if she has registered under her husband's name preceded by the title "Mrs.".
E. The provisions of this Section shall not be applicable to petitions for elections to
be held pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 3 of Title 26 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes
of 1950.

Legislative History

Acts 1986, No. 669, §1; Acts 1988, No. 809, §1; Acts 1995, No. 312, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1997, No. 1420, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1998; Acts 2001, No. 1032, §7; Acts 2005, No. 431, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2006; Acts 2009, No. 186, §2, eff. June 29, 2009; Acts 2017, No. 176, §1, eff. June 14, 2017; Acts 2018, No. 584, §1, eff. May 28, 2018; Acts 2024, No. 550, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2025.