This legislation would add a ninth seat to the State Board of Election Supervisors for a voter with a disability. The appointed member would be chosen by the Governor from a list of names provided by executives of Disability Rights Louisiana, the Split Second Foundation, the Louisiana Statewide Independent Living Council, the Louisiana Association for the Blind, the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council, and Arc of Louisiana. 

This legislation seeks to protect and expand voting opportunities for people with disabilities through the leadership of voters with disabilities and greater oversight and education about accessibility laws. The legislation would create procedures for assisting voters with disabilities and requirements to comply with provisions of state and federal law pertaining to the rights of voters with disabilities. It would also require the Louisiana Secretary of State to appoint an ADA Compliance Officer to conduct and issue a biannual accessibility audit and share their findings.

Additionally, the legislation would create a Voting Accessibility Advisory Group within the Department of State that would be made up of 7 members with a diversity of accessibility needs to provide input into voting accessibility

To improve the experience of voters at the polls, the legislation would improve the election commissioner training, specifically related to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, by improving accessibility in voting systems, creating publications of best practices related to accessible voting for local election officials, revising and improving the department’s publications and postings at voting locations, and increasing accessibility of information on the department’s website.