§1461.7. Miscellaneous election offenses; penalties

            A. No person shall knowingly, willfully, or intentionally:

            (1) Fail to submit to the parish registrar of voters a completed registration application collected through a third-party voter registration drive within thirty days of receipt of the completed application from the applicant or no later than the date provided in R.S. 18:135(A)(1), whichever occurs first.

            (2) As a voter, election official, watcher, or person assisting a voter, allow a ballot to be seen, except as provided by law; announce the manner in which a person has cast his ballot; place a distinguishing mark on a ballot with intent to make the ballot identifiable, or make a false statement concerning ability to mark a ballot without assistance.

            (3) When assisting a voter in voting, fail to mark the ballot or vote in the manner dictated by the voter.

            (4) Being a physician, optometrist, physician assistant as defined in R.S. 37:1360.22, or nurse practitioner as defined in R.S. 37:913 certify to the disability of a voter under this Title or certify that a person will be hospitalized on election day, knowing such information to be false.

            (5) Transmit or otherwise provide false or misleading information concerning an election from a source disguised to appear to be or while impersonating the secretary of state, a registrar of voters, a clerk of court, or other election official.

            (6) Facilitate the distribution and collection of absentee by mail ballot applications or absentee by mail ballots in violation of this Title.

            (7) Breach any mandatory provision of this Title.

NOTE: Paragraph (8) eff. July 1, 2025. See Acts 2024, No. 302.

            (8) Witness the certificate of more than one voter who is not an immediate family member in violation of R.S. 18:1306.

NOTE: Paragraph (9) eff. July 1, 2025. See Acts 2024, No. 712.

            (9) Witness more than one certificate of a voter who is not an immediate family member in violation of R.S. 18:1306. 

            B. Whoever violates any provision of Subsection A of this Section shall be fined not more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. On a second offense, or any subsequent offense, the penalty shall be a fine of not more than two thousand five hundred dollars or imprisonment for not more than five years, or both.

            C. No person shall:

            (1) Possess any beverage of alcoholic content in a polling place after having been directed by a registrar or deputy registrar, commissioner-in-charge, commissioner or law enforcement officer providing assistance to maintain order at the polling place to remove or dispose of the beverage.

            (2) Appear at a polling place in an intoxicated condition.

            (3) Carry or possess a firearm while present in a polling place, except a peace officer as defined by R.S. 40:2402(3)(a), in the performance of his official duties.

            D. Whoever violates any provision of Subsection C of this Section shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or be imprisoned for not more than six months, or both. On a second offense or any subsequent offense, the penalty shall be a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.

            Acts 2010, No. 797, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2011; Acts 2020, No. 28, §1, eff. June 4, 2020; Acts 2021, No. 381, §2, eff. Jan. 1, 2022; Acts 2024, No. 302, §2, eff. July 1, 2025; Acts 2024, No. 317, §2, eff. May 28, 2024; Acts 2024, No. 701, §1; Acts 2024, No. 712, §1, eff. July 1, 2025.