Provides for consolidation of precincts with fewer than 20 voters. (8/1/26)

Senate Bill 248 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes 18:531.1(A) to create two new circumstances under which a polling place for a precinct need not be opened. The bill modifies the introductory language of the statute to reference "exceptions" rather than "exception" and adds subsection (3), which permits closure of a polling place when the registrar of voters determines after the close of early voting that all eligible voters in the precinct have already voted either absentee by mail or during the early voting period. The bill also clarifies subsection (2) to establish that a polling place need not open when fewer than twenty eligible voters remain in the precinct for any office or proposition on the ballot, provided that an alternative polling place exists within the same location where those remaining voters may cast their ballots.

The practical effect of this legislation is to reduce the number of open polling places in precincts with minimal voter participation. Registrars of voters gain explicit authority to consolidate precincts meeting these thresholds, directing those voters to alternative locations rather than maintaining separate polling operations. This change affects voters in low-population precincts or those who have already participated through early voting or mail ballots, as they will be directed to vote at consolidated locations. The measure particularly impacts rural parishes and smaller municipalities where precinct populations may fall below twenty voters, streamlining election administration by reducing redundant polling locations while ensuring that displaced voters have an accessible alternative voting site within the same physical location.

This bill operates within the existing statutory framework of R.S. 18:531.1, which governs exceptions to the requirement that polling places remain open during elections. The legislation builds upon present law that already permitted precinct closures under certain circumstances and maintains reference to Subsection C of Section 531.1, which establishes the criteria and procedures for designating alternative voting locations. The effective date of February 1, 2027 provides time for registrars to implement procedures for identifying precincts meeting the twenty-voter threshold and to notify affected voters of alternative polling locations. The changes remain consistent with Louisiana's constitutional framework governing the conduct of elections and the powers delegated to registrars of voters as county election officials.