SB 218 Louisiana Senate · 2026 Regular Session

ELECTIONS DEPARTMENT: Provides for certification programs for election officials. (8/1/26) (EN NO IMPACT See Note)

SB 218 requires Louisiana election officials - including registrars, chief deputy registrars, and confidential assistants - to complete certification through approved training programs. The bill mandates that such training must be provided by Auburn University's Certified Elections Registration Administrator Program or a substantially equivalent program approved by the State Board of Election Supervisors. Officials must complete courses required for certification or to maintain their certification status. This bill directly affects election administration staff by establishing mandatory certification standards for their roles. It becomes effective August 1, 2026.

Tags: Elections

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

House Passage

May 2026

Signed into Law

May 2026

Introduced Feb 26, 2026 Signed May 15, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 4 comparisons

What changed between versions

SB218 Original → SB218 Act · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill converts the legislative text from a draft version to an enrolled, enacted law. It adds standard signatures from the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and the Governor, along with the approval date, to finalize the legislation. The substantive content regarding voter certification programs remains unchanged, though minor formatting adjustments were made to the section title.

TECHNICAL

Added signatures from the President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, and Governor, along with the approval date, to formalize the bill as an enacted law.

Changed the section header from 'AN ACT' to 'ACT No. 254' and updated the status from 'ORIGINAL' to 'ENROLLED'.

Adjusted the section text to read 'amended and reenacted' instead of just 'amended'.

Changed the capitalization of 'Certified Elections Registration Administrator Program' to 'program' in the body text.

Removed the 'DIGEST' section and the original legislative services metadata that explained the bill's purpose and effective date.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 18, 2026 · House May 7, 2026

How they voted

34–0

Passed · 6 other

Total votes 40

Mar 18, 2026

D Democratic11

8 Yea 3

72% Yea

R Republican29

26 Yea 3

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

May 7, 2026

Lower · Passed

Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 99, nays 0. Finally passed, ordered to the Senate.

lower

Apr 29, 2026

Introduced

Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments.

lower

Apr 28, 2026

Lower · Passed

Reported favorably (11-0). Referred to the Legislative Bureau.

lower

Mar 24, 2026

Committee

Read by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.

lower

Mar 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

Rules suspended. Senate floor amendments read and adopted. Read by title and passed by a vote of 32 yeas and 0 nays; ordered reengrossed and sent to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.

upper

Mar 11, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported favorably.

upper

Mar 9, 2026

Committee

Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs.

upper

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors