§ 18:536 — Notice of change of location of polling place

§536. Notice of change of location of polling place
A. When a parish governing authority or parish president, in accordance with the
provisions of R.S. 18:534, changes the location of a polling place during the period
commencing on the date that the qualifying period opens and ending on the date of the
general election or during the period commencing on the forty-sixth day prior to an election
and ending on the day of the election for an election date exclusively for bond, tax, or other
propositions or questions, the governing authority shall give adequate notice of the change
of the location and the reason for the change to each voter registered to vote at that polling
place and to each candidate to be voted on at that polling place, if applicable, in the following
manner:
(1) Each candidate shall be given immediate notice by telephone and by certified
mail of the new location of the polling place.
(2) A sign shall be posted at the former polling place directing voters to the new
location of the polling place.
(3) An employee of the parish governing authority shall be stationed at the former
polling place for the purpose of directing potential voters to the new location of the polling
place. The eligibility requirements provided in R.S. 18:1354(C) for appointment as a deputy
parish custodian of voting machines are applicable to the employee. Such employee shall
be required to take the constitutional oath or affirmation. The clerk of court shall administer
the oath.
(4) If reasonable time exists, the notice of the change in location shall be published
by the parish governing authority in the official journal of the parish and in any other
newspaper of general circulation in the precinct or precincts affected. Publication of the
notice shall appear under the heading, NOTICE OF CHANGE OF POLLING PLACE.
B. The governing authority may take such other reasonable steps as it deems
necessary or desirable to inform the voters and the candidates of the change in location,
including but not limited to posting notices on utility poles and advertisements in the
electronic media.
C. The governing authority shall inform the secretary of state of all polling place
location changes and the reason for each change. The secretary of state shall list polling
place location changes and the reason for each change as provided by the governing authority
on his website in a sortable format. A parish registrar of voters or clerk of court that
maintains a website may publish a list of polling place location changes within the parish and
the reason for each change on his website and provide a clearly visible link to the list on the
secretary of state's website. Each website shall also include instructions on how a voter may
subscribe to receive electronic notifications of polling place location changes.

Legislative History

Acts 1978, No. 580, §2; Acts 1980, No. 506, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1981; Acts 1993, No. 418, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1994; Acts 2015, No. 307, §1, eff. June 29, 2015; Acts 2022, No. 652, §1, eff. Oct. 15, 2022; Acts 2024, No. 470, §1, eff. July 1, 2025.