Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed a Implementing Regulation on Monday to require state executive departments to include a disclaimer on voter registration forms stating that noncitizens are barred from registering and voting.
Participation in federal elections is limited to U.S. citizens through Federal lawVoting in elections in Louisiana is also regulated by Article 1, Section 10 of the Louisiana Constitution. The disclaimer would read: “The Louisiana Constitution prohibits noncitizens from registering and voting. Therefore, it is illegal for noncitizens to register and vote in Louisiana.”
The signing of the Executive Order was in response to a large number of Immigrants without papers under the Biden-Harris administration. The Executive Order expresses concern about the resulting large number of undocumented immigrants participating in elections, stating: “Any vote cast unlawfully constitutes a dilution of the votes of persons lawfully registered to vote in the United States(.)”
Governor Landry said in a press conference that the U.S. has welcomed immigrants from the beginning, but the federal government has created a broken immigration system. Still, he said those facts cannot allow Louisiana to ignore immigration law. He stated, “If we do that, we disrespect all the great immigrants who came to America, who went through the process, who became citizens and did it the right way.” He also stressed that citizenship is the foundation of a constitutional republic and that “(U.S.) voting is a privilege reserved for American citizens because citizenship should mean something.” He further stated, “American citizens are expected to uphold the principles of freedom, democracy, the rule of law and individual rights that are the foundation of our country. And how do you do that when you broke the law right from the start when you came to this country?”
Landry’s order follows the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision maintain Arizona election law requires proof of citizenship.
