§176. Suspension and cancellation of registration and challenge of unlawful registration on the basis of reports

            A.(1) The registrar shall send a notice to each person listed on a report received pursuant to R.S. 18:171 or 171.1 and to any person the registrar has reason to believe is ineligible to register or vote pursuant to R.S. 18:102(A)(1). The notice shall be mailed first class, postage prepaid, to the address on file at the registrar's office.

            (2) The notice shall state that the registrar has information that the registrant is under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony and that the conviction is for an election offense or the registrant has been incarcerated pursuant to the order within the last five years. The notice shall inform the person that he must appear in person at the office of the registrar of voters within twenty-one days after the date on which the notice was mailed to show cause why his registration should not be suspended.

            (3)(a) If the registrant appears and shows cause within the twenty-one days, the registrar shall not suspend the registration.

            (b) If the registrant fails to appear within the required twenty-one days, the registrar shall suspend the registration in the state voter registration computer system and, if necessary, by drawing in red ink a line through the registrant's name on the precinct register and the duplicate precinct register. Such line shall be initialed by the registrar or employee of the registrar. The registrar shall note in the registrant's information on the state voter registration computer system and, if the original application is available in hard copy in the registrar's office, on the original application for registration that the registrar has been notified of an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony which makes the registrant ineligible to register or vote pursuant to R.S. 18:102(A)(1), and he shall note also the date of the suspension and the date of the report, when applicable. If the original application is available in hard copy in the registrar's office, the registrar shall remove the original application from his file of eligible voters and shall place it in his suspension file. In addition, each person whose registration is suspended under this Subsection shall immediately be notified of the suspension and the reason therefor.

            (4) A list of names and addresses of the notices sent under this Subsection and whether or not each registrant responded to such notice shall be maintained for a period of two years and shall be open to inspection and copying as provided in R.S. 18:154.

            B. Upon receipt of the report required by R.S. 18:172, the registrar shall suspend the registration of the interdict for the period of interdiction. The registrar shall suspend the registration of each person listed on the report in the state voter registration computer system and, if necessary, by drawing in red ink a line through the name of such person on the precinct register and the duplicate precinct register. Such line shall be initialed by the registrar or employee of the registrar. The registrar shall note in the registrant's information on the state voter registration computer system and, if the original application is available in hard copy in the registrar's office, on the original application for registration that the registrar has been notified of an order of a judgment of interdiction, and he shall note also the date of the suspension and the date of the report. If the original application is available in hard copy in the registrar's office, the registrar shall remove the original application from his file of eligible voters and shall place it in his suspension file. In addition, each person whose registration is suspended under this Subsection shall immediately be notified of the suspension and the reason therefor.

            C. Immediately upon receipt of a report required by R.S. 18:173, the registrar shall cancel the registration of each person listed on the report in the state voter registration computer system and, if necessary, by drawing in red ink a line through the name of such person on the precinct register and the duplicate precinct register. Such line shall be initialed by the registrar or employee of the registrar. The registrar shall note in the registrant's information on the state voter registration computer system and, if the original application is available in hard copy in the registrar's office, on the original application for registration that the registrar has received a report of death, and he shall note the date of the cancellation and the date of the report. If the original application is available in hard copy in the registrar's office, the registrar shall remove the original application from his file of eligible voters and shall place it in his cancellation file.

            D. Repealed by Acts 2017, No. 176, §5, eff. June 14, 2017.

            E. If the registrar determines that a voter's registration has been suspended or cancelled through error of the registrar, the registrar shall reinstate the voter's registration as though the suspension or cancellation had never occurred and shall notify the registrant of the reinstatement.

            Acts 1976, No. 697, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1978. Amended by Acts 1979, No. 229, §1, eff. July 13, 1979; Acts 1987, No. 831, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1988; Acts 1988, No. 909, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1989; Acts 1994, 3rd Ex. Sess., No. 10, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 1420, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1998; Acts 2009, No. 186, §2, eff. June 29, 2009; Acts 2017, No. 176, §5, eff. June 14, 2017; Acts 2021, No. 127, §1, eff. Feb. 1, 2022.