§ 18:463 — Notice of candidacy; campaign finance disclosure; political advertising; penalties

Louisiana § 18:463

• Jurisdiction: Louisiana
• Title 18: Conservation

Text

§463. Notice of candidacy; campaign finance disclosure; political advertising; penalties
A.(1)(a) A notice of candidacy shall be in writing and shall state the candidate's
name, the office he seeks, the address of his domicile, his telephone number, his electronic
mail address, and the parish, ward, and precinct where he is registered to vote. The candidate
shall list on the notice of candidacy the name of the political party if he is registered as being
affiliated with a recognized political party, "other" if he is registered as being affiliated with
a political party that is not a recognized political party, or "no party" or an abbreviation
thereof if he is registered with no political party affiliation. No candidate shall change or add
his political party designation, for purposes of printing on the election ballot as required by
R.S. 18:551(D), after he has qualified for the election.
(b) The candidate shall designate in the notice the form in which his name shall be
printed on the ballot. The candidate may designate his given, first, and middle name, the
initials of his given, first, and middle name, a nickname, or any combination thereof as the
form in which his name shall be printed on the ballot, but he shall not designate a title,
designation, or deceptive name, nor shall he designate an occupational or professional
description or abbreviation. If the candidate designates a nickname in place of or in
combination with his given name or the initials thereof, the nickname shall be set off with
quotation marks and shall be placed immediately preceding his surname. A candidate shall
include his surname in his designation of the form in which his name shall be printed on the
ballot.
(c) When an agent files a notice of candidacy on behalf of a candidate, the agent shall
file with the qualifying official an affidavit with the signature of the candidate attesting that
the agent has the authorization and consent of the candidate to file the notice.
(d) When a candidate serving in the armed forces of the United States who is
stationed or deployed outside of the United States files his notice of candidacy and does not
pay any qualifying fees or any additional fee, he shall file with the qualifying official a
certification prepared by the secretary of state certifying that at the time of qualifying he is
serving in the armed forces of the United States and he is stationed or deployed outside of
the United States and that he is eligible to become a candidate pursuant to United States
Department of Defense Directive 1344.10.
(2)(a) The notice of candidacy also shall include a certificate, signed by the
candidate, certifying all of the following:
(i) That he has read the notice of his candidacy.
(ii) That he meets the qualifications of the office for which he is qualifying.
(iii) Except for a candidate for United States senator or representative in congress,
that he is not currently under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony and that
he is not prohibited from qualifying as a candidate for conviction of a felony pursuant to
Article I, Section 10.1 of the Constitution of Louisiana.
(iv) Except for a candidate for United States senator or representative in congress,
that for each of the previous five tax years, he has filed his federal and state income tax
returns, has filed for an extension of time for filing either his federal or state income tax
return or both, or was not required to file either a federal or state income tax return or both.
(v) That he acknowledges that he is subject to the provisions of the Campaign
Finance Disclosure Act if he is a candidate for any office other than United States senator,
representative in congress, or member of a committee of a political party and that he does not
owe any outstanding fines, fees, or penalties pursuant to the Campaign Finance Disclosure
Act.
(vi) That, if he is a major or district office candidate as defined in R.S. 18:1483, he
has filed each report he has been required to file by the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act,
if any were previously due.
(vii) That he does not owe any outstanding fines, fees, or penalties pursuant to the
Code of Governmental Ethics.
(viii) Except for a candidate for United States senator or representative in congress
or a candidate who resides in a nursing home as defined in R.S. 40:2009.2 or in a veterans'
home operated by the state or federal government, that if he claims a homestead exemption
on a residence pursuant to Article VII, Section 20 of the Constitution of Louisiana, he is
registered and votes in the precinct in which that residence is located.
(ix) That all of the statements contained in it are true and correct.
(b) The certificate shall be executed before a notary public or shall be witnessed by
two persons. If the candidate is serving outside the state with the armed forces of the United
States, his notice of candidacy shall be witnessed by a commissioned officer in the armed
forces of the United States.
(c) For the purposes of this Paragraph:
(i) "Outstanding fine, fee, or penalty pursuant to the Campaign Finance Disclosure
Act" shall mean a fine, fee, or penalty equal to an amount of two hundred fifty dollars or
more assessed by order of the Supervisory Committee on Campaign Finance Disclosure or
its staff or by final decision of an adjudicatory panel of the Ethics Adjudicatory Board
pursuant to the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act for which all requests for waiver or
appeals have been exhausted or a judgment of a district court assessing civil penalties
pursuant to the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act for which all appeals have been exhausted.
(ii) "Outstanding fines, fees, or penalties pursuant to the Code of Governmental
Ethics" shall mean a fine, fee, or penalty equal to an amount of two hundred fifty dollars or
more imposed by the Board of Ethics or by final decision of an adjudicatory panel of the
Ethics Adjudicatory Board pursuant to the Code of Governmental Ethics for which all
appeals have been exhausted.
(iii) "Outstanding fine, fee, or penalty" shall not mean any fine, fee, or penalty that
has been paid in full as of the time of the filing of the notice of candidacy.
(3) The notice of candidacy also shall include a certificate, signed by the candidate,
certifying that he is knowledgeable of the laws governing election offenses as provided in
Chapter 10 of this Title and that he is knowledgeable of the prohibitions relative to erecting,
displaying, or posting political campaign signs on any highway right-of-way, publicly owned
property or right-of-way, or to or on any public utility pole or stanchion, as provided in R.S.
48:347(D), R.S. 30:2544, and R.S. 18:1470. Except as provided in R.S. 30:2544, whoever
so erects, displays, or posts political campaign signs on any publicly owned property or
right-of-way, or to or on any public utility pole or stanchion shall be guilty of a misdemeanor
and shall be fined not in excess of one hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty
days, or both.
(4) An agent who files a notice of candidacy without the authorization or consent of
the candidate to file such notice of candidacy shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be
fined not in excess of five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days, or
both.
B. Repealed by Acts 2008, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 1, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2009.
C. On the forms for notice of candidacy which are prepared, printed, and distributed
by the secretary of state, a notice shall be printed below the signature line which shall inform
the candidate that copies of the forms and pamphlets of explanation and instruction which
are distributed by the Supervisory Committee on Campaign Finance Disclosure are available
from the clerk of court or the committee, and that information contained in the notice of
candidacy may be posted on the website of the secretary of state as determined by the
secretary of state.
D. Not later than the Friday before the opening of the qualifying period for any
primary election, the Supervisory Committee on Campaign Finance Disclosure shall deliver
a sufficient number of informational packets containing reporting forms and instructions to
all officials with whom candidates will qualify for such primary election. The informational
packet shall include a notice to the candidate that questions concerning the Campaign
Finance Disclosure Act should be addressed to the Supervisory Committee on Campaign
Finance Disclosure, not the official with whom the candidate qualifies. If a candidate
qualifies in person, such informational packets shall be distributed to each candidate upon
receipt of the candidate's notice of candidacy by the official with whom the candidate
qualifies for office. If a candidate qualifies by submitting his notice of candidacy by certified
mail, commercial carrier, or agent, such informational packets shall be mailed to the
candidate at his mailing address or, if no mailing address is provided, the address of his
domicile as set forth in the notice of candidacy within two business days after receipt of the
notice of candidacy.
E.(1) A candidate who has filed a notice of candidacy may change the information
contained therein by filing a new notice of candidacy and paying the qualifying fee required
by R.S. 18:464 during the qualifying period; however, a candidate who is serving in the
armed forces of the United States who is stationed or deployed outside of the United States
shall not be required to pay the qualifying fee.
(2) No changes to the information contained in a notice of candidacy shall be made
after the close of qualifying, except to correct an error made by the qualifying official who
entered the information contained in the notice of candidacy into the database of the
Department of State.
F. The Board of Ethics shall work in conjunction with the attorney general to create
informational packets summarizing provisions of the laws relative to dual officeholding and
laws under the jurisdiction of the board applicable to public officials relative to conflicts of
interest and prohibited transactions, payments, contracts, and employment. The Board of
Ethics shall provide such an informational packet in the same manner as provided in
Subsection D of this Section to any candidate who qualifies for office.

Legislative History

Acts 1976, No. 697, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1978. Amended by Acts 1978, No. 292, §1, eff. July 6, 1978; Acts 1980, No. 786, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 1980; Acts 1982, No. 747, §1, eff. Aug. 2, 1982; Acts 1982, No. 778, §1, eff. Aug. 4, 1982; Acts 1983, No. 519, §1, eff. July 8, 1983; Acts 1984, No. 672, §1; Acts 1984, No. 225, §2; Acts 1988, No. 909, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1989; Acts 1989, No. 768, §2; Acts 1991, 1st E.S., No. 1, §1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991; Acts 1995, No. 300, §1, eff. June 15, 1995; Acts 1999, No. 1130, §1; Acts 2001, No. 47, §1; Acts 2003, No. 529, §1, eff. June 27, 2003; Acts 2003, No. 1220, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2004; Acts 2004, No. 526, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2005, and §2, eff. June 25, 2004; Acts 2004, No. 829, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2005; Acts 2004, No. 896, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2005; Acts 2008, 1 st Ex. Sess., No. 1, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2008, 1st Ex. Sess., No. 16, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2010, No. 827, §1; Acts 2011, No. 152, §1; Acts 2012, No. 533, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2013; Acts 2012, No. 609, §1, eff. June 7, 2012; Acts 2012, No. 758, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2013; Acts 2012, No. 778, §1, eff. June 12, 2012; Acts 2013, No. 383, §1, eff. June 18, 2013; Acts 2015, No. 307, §1, eff. June 29, 2015; Acts 2016, No. 281, §1, eff. May 31, 2016; Acts 2018, No. 584, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2019; Acts 2019, No. 374, §1, eff. June 19, 2019; Acts 2019, No. 374, §2, eff. Jan 1, 2020; Acts 2020, No. 28, §1, eff. June 4, 2020; §2, eff. Feb. 1, 2021; Acts 2022, No. 35, §1, eff. May 17, 2022.