BATON ROUGE, La.—The Louisiana Legislative Auditor (LLA) conducted a follow-up to their award-winning 2021 audit of the Louisiana Department of State’s election integrity procedures. The original report found “[overall]…DOS has procedures and practices to ensure election integrity.” The follow-up concluded that the agency has implemented or is in the process of implementing all recommendations made in the 2021 audit.
“I appreciate the thorough work of Louisiana Legislative Auditor Michael Waguespack and his team,” Secretary Landry said. “This latest report confirms what the voters of our state know to be true: Louisiana’s elections are safe, secure, and accurate. I look forward to continuing to strengthen our policies and procedures to make us number one in the nation for election integrity.”
LLA made five recommendations in its 2021 audit. The follow-up report found that the Department of State implemented three (ensuring documentation of test vote results, formal documentation of post-election verification activities, and consistent categorization of complaints to the Division of Election Integrity) and is in the process of implementing two (additional state-by-state data matches and post-election audits). It further found that legislation was enacted relating to six matters for legislative consideration, including:
- Act 2 (2024): The adoption of an expanded annual voter canvass to ensure an accurate voter registration list
- Act 321 (2024): The establishment of uniformity on what information is required for absentee by mail ballots
- Act 639 (2022): The development of rules to create uniformity for what absentee by mail ballots are referred to the Parish Board of Election Supervisors
- Act 572 (2022): The requirement of a signed certification of voting machine testing
- Act 741 (2022): The adoption of uniform policies and procedures for the conduct of a post-election tabulation audit of paper records
- Act 640 (2024): A provision for six weeks between primary and general elections beginning in 2026
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