June 30, 2026

Greetings League Members and Friends!

As you all are aware, the April into May period was an extraordinarily busy period for our League, with the Callais decision and our state and federal lawsuits against the suspension of elections. We did not prevail in those lawsuits, but we led the state and the nation in responding to an election-suspension threat that became all too real!

Fortunately, the litigation tide began to turn in our favor with a big win, with LWVUS, LWV of Virginia, and LWV of Texas, in the LWV v. DHS case challenging the aggregation of data—including the records of 2.9 million Louisiana voter—in a large and error-prone national database that could be used against citizens and non-citizens alike to unknown ends. The federal court decision was an important win for voter privacy, and we are hearing reports that key features of the database have been or are in the process of being dismantled.

What the LWV v. DHS case means for Louisiana remains somewhat unclear. Our Secretary of State Nancy Landry willingly turned over Louisiana voter data to be run through the database; indeed, Louisiana was the first state to use the database. Secretaries of State in other states were not so eager, prompting the Trump Administration to pursue lawsuits and other measures to compel them to turn over voter data. Of particular concern is a bill passed this session (HB 691/Act 6) that requires Louisiana to use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database that was the focus of the LWV v. DHS to verify the citizenship of voters. (No, your reading eyes do not deceive—the SAVE system, with the SAVE Act and the SAVE America Act is one of too many SAVES that are currently threatening voting rights in the United States.)

Use of the SAVE system seems also to have been intended to be the mechanism for enforcing Louisiana’s state law requiring documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC), which technically has been in effect since January 1, 2025, but with the exact method of implementation still unclear. LWVLA has sued to get that information and recently intervened in the case of Louisiana v. EAC, in which the Secretary of State is seeking to have the federal Election Assistance Commission rewrite federal voter registration laws to allow the implementation of Louisiana’s DPOC law.

The EAC rewrite is actually one of several recent efforts by the Secretary of State and Louisiana legislators to poke holes in federal voting rights legislation. Another was a Louisiana Senate resolution which, had it passed, would “memorialize” the U.S. Congress to  amend the National Voter Registration Act to allow states to no longer have Offices of Motor Vehicles and designated social service agencies serve as sites for voter registration. The SOS said voters could register themselves online, going to a library to do so if they do not have internet access. In a letter to the editor published in The Advocate on June 1, we suggested what that might mean in a state that ranks 46th in access to high-speed internet and 47th in literacy. Just another highlight of our voting rights advocacy this month.

Mid-month, on June 17, we paused to reflect on the passing of League member Kathryne Delcarpio. Kathy was the founding president, in 2024, of League of Women Voters of Iberia. In just two and half years, LWVI has distinguished itself in advocacy around criminal justice, voting rights, restoration of voting rights to voters with felony convictions, and voter education in the community. Kathy has left such an important legacy for the League in our state.

The mood shifted from somber to celebratory as LWVLA attended the 2026 LWVUS National Convention in Columbus, Ohio, from June 25-28. There, LWVLA president Christy Green was joined as an in-person delegate by six virtual delegates and observers on our text message thread throughout much of the proceedings. We entered Convention strong, with our LWV v. DHS  win, our proposed Resolution on the Value of Nonpartisan Civil Service, and a very nice portfolio of grants to our league announced just before the Convention began. (More info on the grants coming next month.) We were celebrated for our work in litigation, with League members from around the nation saying, “Hey, Louisiana!” in the halls and coming up to personally convey for all our state is doing to defend voting rights. Our Civil Service resolution passed overwhelmingly, and a League member who is a fired federal USAID worker from Virginia, spoke about how much the resolution meant to her.

So, June was a month of victory, passings, and celebration. Amidst it all, the “Unite & Rise 8.5” campaign to register, educate, and activate 8.5 million voters continues—and Louisiana is seeking to reach 160,000 Louisiana voters before the 2026 midterm elections. As always, if you’re not with us yet as a League member, join us, tell your friends, and consider a donation to fund our work.

In League,

Your LWVLA State Board

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