Louisiana could change from voting machines to paper ballots

BY MARK BALLARD | CAPITOL BUREAU EDITOR JUN 10, 2021 – 4:47 PM

Louisiana will be moving to elections using paper ballots under legislation finally approved about 90 minutes before the Legislature adjourned Thursday at 6 p.m.

Senate Bill 221, by state Sen. Sharon Hewitt, had been negotiated behind closed doors for about two weeks. Agreement came in the closing moments of the two-month-old legislative session.

The result merged much of the language from two similar House-passed bills with the Senate measure.

Current law requires Louisiana votes in machines. The legislation would now require a paper ballot that would be scanned to count.

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