Published: April 2, 2026
By: Sheridan White, LSU Manship School News Service
BATON ROUGE – Republican lawmakers killed two bills Wednesday aimed at improving voting access for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals despite testimony highlighting gaps in current laws and barriers to participation. House Bill 270 and House Bill 361, both authored by Rep. Terry Landry, D-Baton Rouge, sought to address what supporters described as inconsistencies and logistical challenges in the state’s voting system. While neither proposal would have expanded the number of eligible voters, advocates argued they would ensure existing rights were more accessible.
HB 270 focused on clarifying conflicting statutes related to voting by mail. Under current Louisiana law, individuals who are incarcerated but not convicted of a felony are eligible to vote.
However, a separate law requires first-time voters to cast ballots in person, creating a contradiction for those behind bars who cannot physically access polling places.
Landry emphasized at a hearing by the House and Governmental Affairs Committee that the bill was not about expanding voting rights but about ensuring consistency.
“We’re not expanding the voter population,” Landry said. “We’re not expanding rights. These rights currently exist. We’re just making sure that these other folks who kind of fall in that loophole also get that same right.”
Read more at KATC.
LSU Manship School Statehouse Bureau 
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