§ 18:563 — Procedure for voting

§563. Procedure for voting
A. The commissioners shall not allow more voters to approach the voting machines
than there are vacant machines available for voting. Except as otherwise provided by law,
the commissioners shall not allow more than one person to enter a voting machine at a time.
B. A minor may accompany his parent or legal guardian into the voting machine.
C.(1)(a) A voter shall not remain in a voting machine longer than six minutes. If a
voter fails to leave a voting machine promptly after a commissioner has notified him that six
minutes have elapsed, the commissioners shall order the voter to complete voting and leave
the voting machine.
(b) Notwithstanding Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph, if the ballot is lengthy or
if it contains complex propositions or constitutional amendments, the commissioners may
allocate additional time in an equitable manner.
(2) Notwithstanding Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, a voter receiving assistance
in voting pursuant to R.S. 18:564 or a voter using the audio ballot shall be allowed to remain
in a voting machine for up to twenty minutes. If such a voter fails to leave a voting machine
promptly after a commissioner has notified him that twenty minutes have elapsed, the
commissioners shall order the voter to complete voting and leave the voting machine.
D.(1)(a) In order to cast a vote on a voting machine, a voter shall make at least one
selection in a candidate or proposition election. Voting is completed by activating the cast
vote mechanism.
(b) If a voter has made any selection in a candidate or proposition election but has
failed to activate the cast vote mechanism, a commissioner observed by at least one other
commissioner shall activate the cast vote mechanism for the fled voter without altering any
selections made by the voter.
(c) If a voter has failed to make any selection before leaving the voting machine and,
therefore, a commissioner cannot activate the cast vote mechanism for the fled voter, a
commissioner shall complete in triplicate the notation of irregularities form provided by the
secretary of state and reset the voting machine.
(2)(a) In order to cast a vote on a paper ballot, a voter must make a selection for a
candidate or for or against a proposition by completely filling in the oval to the right of a
selection and returning the ballot to the appropriate election official within the applicable
deadline set forth by law. If a voter makes selections for more than the number of candidates
to be elected for an office or makes selections for and against the same proposition, the
selections for that office or proposition will be void.
(b) If a voter determines that his ballot is spoiled because he wants to change or
correct his vote on the ballot before it is cast and counted but is unable to do so, he may
obtain a replacement ballot upon returning the spoiled ballot to a commissioner. The voter
shall cast his vote as provided in Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph using the replacement
ballot. The commissioner shall write the words "spoiled and replaced" on the ballot and shall
place it in the envelope marked "Registrar of Voters".
E. A voter shall promptly leave the polling place after voting and shall not reenter
a voting machine.

Legislative History

Acts 1976, No. 697, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1978; Acts 1987, No. 237, §1; Acts 1987, No. 831, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1988; Acts 2003, No. 1220, §2, eff. July 3, 2003; Acts 2007, No. 240, §1; Acts 2008, No. 136, §1, eff. June 6, 2008; Acts 2016, No. 281, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 2017; Acts 2018, No. 584, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2019; Acts 2021, No. 22, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2022; Acts 2021, No. 397, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2022.