Did Louisiana's attorney general approve the Absentee Certificate Instructions form for distribution?

Plain-English summary

Louisiana's Commissioner of Elections sent the Absentee Certificate Instructions to the attorney general for expedited review. The opinion said state law required the office's approval of that form. After reviewing it, the attorney general found it compliant with Louisiana law, subject to one correction: the word “example” was misspelled on the page showing a picture of the certification. The office approved the form for printing and distribution after that spelling error was fixed.

The opinion gives no broader analysis of absentee-ballot procedures. Its approval concerned the submitted instruction form and the identified correction.

What this means for you

Election officials preparing the form

The opinion approved printing and distribution of the reviewed Absentee Certificate Instructions after correcting the misspelled word on the certification picture page. It identified no other required change.

Readers of the instruction form

This opinion records the attorney general's approval of the submitted form. It does not reproduce the form itself or decide a dispute over a particular absentee ballot.

Common questions

Q: Was the Absentee Certificate Instructions form approved for use?
A: Yes, once the spelling error identified by the attorney general was corrected. The opinion said the form was otherwise compliant with Louisiana law.

Q: What change did the attorney general require before printing?
A: The office asked for the word “example” to be spelled correctly at the top of the page containing the certification picture.

Background and statutory framework

The Commissioner of Elections requested expedited review. The opinion cited La R.S. 18:1306(B)(1) and (2) as requiring attorney general approval of the form. The office reported its review, identified the single spelling error, and conditioned approval for printing and distribution on correcting it.

Citations and references

• La R.S. 18:1306(B)(1) and (2) (approval provisions cited by the opinion)

Source

• Landing page: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinions
• Original PDF: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinion/Download/24-0025

Original opinion text

Best-effort transcription from a scanned PDF. Minor errors may remain; the linked PDF is authoritative.

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May 20, 2024
OPiNION 24-0025

23 ELECTIONS
Ms. Sherri Wharton Hadskey
La. R S 18:1306
Commissioner of Elections
‘
The form “Absentee Certificate Instructions’ is compliant with S tate oi Louisiana
• .

Louisiana law and approved for printing and distribution.
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804

Dear Ms. Had skey

We received your request for expedited review and approval from our office of the Absentee Certificate Instructions (hereinafter “AOl”).
The Attorney General’s approval of this form is required by La R.S. 18:1306(B)(1) and (2). We have reviewed the document, and it is the opinion of this office that the form is compliant with Louisiana law. There is one spelling error on the page containing the picture of the certification. The word “example” is misspelled at the top of the page. After this correction is made, the form is approved for printing and distribution.
We hope that this opinion has adequately addressed the legal issues you have raised. If our office can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

With best regards,
LIZ MURRILL
ATTORNEY GENERAL

BY:__
ssistant ttorney General

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