BATON ROUGE, La. — Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin announced that Governor John Bel Edwards has issued a proclamation suspending the deadline for the Voting System Commission’s final report as a result of Hurricane Ida and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Act 480, the legislation that created the Voting System Commission, was passed and signed into law during the 2021 Regular Legislative Session. The act required the commission to produce a final report recommending a type of voting system to Secretary Ardoin by January 31, 2022.

“As chairman of the Voting System Commission, I am grateful to the governor for suspending the deadline for the report. The Voting System Commission has already had to delay its meetings due to Hurricane Ida and has canceled one meeting due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision will give the commission the time it needs to hold its final meetings and carefully weigh its decision. The task of recommending a new type of voting system is far too important to rush the process,” Ardoin stated.

The commission will vote to recommend a type of voting system after its final meeting this year. All meetings are open to the public.

For more information about the Voting System Commission, contact John Ryan McGehee in the Communications Office at 225.922.0820 or visit www.GeauxVote.com. If members of the public would like to view recordings of previous meetings, please visit https://senate.la.gov/.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin has announced that Louisiana will suspend its participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), effective immediately. The announcement comes amid concerns raised by citizens, government watchdog organizations, and

media reports about potential questionable funding sources and that possibly partisan actors may have access to ERIC network data for political purposes, potentially undermining voter confidence. 

“When Louisiana joined ERIC under my predecessor, we did so under the impression that it would enhance the accuracy of our voter rolls and strengthen Louisiana’s election integrity. After reading  about these allegations and speaking with election attorneys and experts, I have determined that it may no longer be in Louisiana’s best interests to participate in this organization,” Secretary Ardoin said.“It is vital that any legitimate allegation of voter fraud or possible misuse of our voters’ personal information is investigated. My job is to ensure that the data voters entrust to my office is protected. I look forward to ERIC’s swift response to these allegations.”  

ERIC was founded in 2012 by seven states, including Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. It has since grown to include 30 states and the  District of Columbia. Louisiana joined the organization in 2014. 

For more information, please contact our Elections Division at 800.883.2805 or [email protected].

Click HERE to read Secretary Ardoin’s letter to ERIC.

To download the official press release click HERE.

BATON ROUGE, La. —Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin is pleased to announce that Louisiana was ranked in the top 10 states for election integrity by the Heritage Foundation. The 2021 Election Integrity Scorecard, which was released last week, ranks Louisiana seventh in the nation. Scores were calculated from 12 different categories, including voter ID implementation, absentee ballot management, vote counting practices, and verification of citizenship.

“Louisiana is among the nation’s leaders when it comes to election integrity due to our agency’s sound procedures and best practices, along with our team of dedicated civil servants who work incredibly hard to ensure our elections run smoothly,” Ardoin said. “While we are proud to be named in the top 10, our goal is perfection, so we will continue working to improve our system. Louisianians deserve the most secure, accurate, and transparent elections possible—we strive to make it easy to vote, but hard to cheat.”

Ardoin was recently designated as a Certified Elections/Registration Administrator (CERA), the nation’s highest professional achievement for election officials. This distinction is earned through a multi-year course conducted by the Election Center’s Professional Education Program at Auburn University.

The Heritage Foundation Election Integrity Scorecard compares states’ election laws that affect election security and integrity.

Click HERE to download the press release.