Serving as Rotarian of the day, Bryan Kelley, Winn Parish registrar of voters, updated members on Louisiana’s latest voting-law changes at the club’s Sept. 17, 2025, meeting.

Kelley explained that the mail and absentee voter system has been updated. Voters eligible for voting by mail will receive their ballots in a large envelope colored blue on the left side and white on the right. The envelope will contain a ballot and three envelopes. The voter will complete the ballot and place it in the security envelope marked Envelope No. 1. Envelope No. 1 will be placed in Envelope No. 2, and the back of Envelope No. 2 will be completed by the witness and by any person providing assistance to the voter in completion and mailing of the ballot. Envelope No. 2 will then be placed in Envelope No. 3, which will be already addressed to the registrar of voters office. The ballot may be mailed or hand-delivered to the registrar of voters office by close of business the day before the election. Hand delivery must be done by a blood relative of the voter.

Kelley also explained the closed-party voting system recently enacted by the Louisiana Legislature. The first election in Winn Parish to be affected by these changes will take place in the spring of 2026. Our election in November will not cover any offices that are subject to party designations. The offices subject to the closed-party primary provisions are U.S. representative, U.S. senator, Louisiana Supreme Court, Louisiana Public Service Commission and Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The Independent Party has been dissolved by the Legislature at the request of its leaders, and all voters registered as Independent will be changed to the No Party designation. No Party voters may choose to register as Democratic or Republican and be limited to voting that ballot in the spring, or they may remain No Party and choose to vote a Democratic, Republican or unaffiliated ballot in the spring elections.

Voters registered as any party besides Democratic or Republican, such as Libertarian or Green parties, will not be eligible to vote a Democratic or Republican ballot and must vote an unaffiliated ballot.

Party affiliation may be changed at any time, but changes made in person at the registrar of voters office must be made 30 days before the next election to be able to vote under the new affiliation, and changes made online must be made 20 days before the next election. Changes in party affiliation may be made at the polls on Election Day, but the change will not take effect for that election. It will only be effective for the following election.

For more information, visit the Louisiana secretary of state’s website (sos.la.gov) or Facebook page, or call the Louisiana secretary of state or your local registrar of voters.