Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has announced new measures to tighten voter registration protocols ahead of the 2024 presidential election. On Monday, Landry signed an executive order requiring all state agencies that provide voter registration forms to include a notice explicitly stating that noncitizens are not allowed to vote in the state. The order also mandates the state Office of Motor Vehicles to share the names of noncitizens and non-permanent residents—estimated to be over 40,000 people—with the secretary of state's office to ensure they are not listed on voter rolls.
This move, coming just over two months before the November election, partially reinforces existing practices. Voting in federal and state elections is already restricted to U.S. citizens, and the state uses data from the Office of Motor Vehicles and Social Security Administration to verify voter registration. The secretary of state's office also cross-references voter rolls with jury questionnaires to confirm citizenship status.
Landry emphasized that the right to vote is exclusively for American citizens, highlighting that 48 noncitizens have been removed from the voter rolls in the past two years. However, M. Christian Green, president of the League of Women Voters of Louisiana, criticized the measure as unnecessary, noting that noncitizen registrations account for a tiny fraction of the state's nearly 3 million registered voters. Green suggested that the issue could stem from confusion over the registration forms, rather than deliberate fraud.
Landry's order aligns with similar actions taken by other Republican-led states, such as Virginia and Idaho, where concerns about noncitizen voting and illegal immigration have been central to campaign issues. The move also follows the recent passage of 11 voting-related bills in Louisiana, pushed as "election integrity" measures, including a new law requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote starting January 1. Noncitizens who violate these rules may face fines or imprisonment under federal and state law.
Link: NOLA.com
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