Louisiana Legislature Proposes Amendment to Ban Private Grants for Election Administration
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Thursday, June 8, the Louisiana Legislature passed House Bill 311, a bill proposing an amendment to the state constitution that would ban the use of private grants to fund election administration. The amendment will go before Louisiana voters on Oct. 14, 2023; if a majority of voters approve, the amendment will become part of the state constitution.
H.B. 311 would ban “funds, goods, or services donated by a foreign government or a nongovernmental source” from being used to conduct elections unless authorized by state law. Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) vetoed a similar ban in 2021; by proposing an amendment to the state constitution, Republicans will be able to circumvent his veto.
Should voters approve the ban in October, Louisiana will be the latest GOP state to enact such a ban. These measures are fueled by election conspiracy theories and could make chronic underfunding of our elections offices even worse.