Governor Signs Executive Order Targeting Illegal Voting, Sparking Concerns from Voting Rights Advocates
Since 2022, a grand total of 48 non-citizens have been removed from Louisiana’s voter rolls—so, clearly, this is a massive issue worth prioritizing. Still, the governor’s office is committed to doubling down on these efforts, because why not fix something that’s not broken?
BATON ROUGE – In a move that some might call “necessary,” the governor signed an executive order aimed at preventing people who are in the U.S. illegally from registering to vote in Louisiana. Apparently, despite it already being illegal for non-citizens to vote, there’s still more that needs to be done. The governor seems determined to ensure that no undocumented immigrant slips through the cracks and gets their hands on a voter registration form.
https://gov.louisiana.gov/assets/ExecutiveOrders/2024/JML-Executive-Order-136.pdf
With the Secretary of State by his side, the governor reassured everyone that this latest step will help “preserve election integrity.” Voter registration forms will now, apparently, be safeguarded to make sure they don’t end up in the wrong hands—because clearly, that’s a top concern in the state.
Meanwhile, voting rights advocates—who might be wondering why we’re focusing on a “problem” that’s barely there—have expressed concern that this order will only confuse eligible voters and make an already complicated process even more discouraging. But hey, what’s a little voter suppression in the name of preventing something that hardly happens?
One advocate pointed out the obvious, noting that the order could dissuade legal voters from participating. But maybe that’s just an unfortunate side effect of making sure that all those non-existent non-citizen voters are kept in check.
It’s worth mentioning that since 2022, a grand total of 48 non-citizens have been removed from Louisiana’s voter rolls—so, clearly, this is a massive issue worth prioritizing. Still, the governor’s office is committed to doubling down on these efforts, because why not fix something that’s not broken?
The attorney general chimed in as well, promising that anyone who dares to illegally register or help someone else do so will face prosecution. Because, naturally, that’s the most pressing threat to Louisiana’s electoral system.
Supporters of the order are happy to go along with the notion that this will somehow make a big difference in election integrity. However, critics can’t help but wonder if this whole initiative is more about optics than solving any real problem. After all, what’s the harm in adding another hurdle for voters in a system already teeming with challenges?
