NEW ORLEANS — The City Council is pushing back against claims by Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin that additional drop-off locations for absentee ballots are not allowed under state law.
Ardoin said absentee ballots can only be turned in through curbside drop-off at a registrar’s office. In Orleans Parish, that means only City Hall and the Algiers courthouse.
In a letter to Ardoin on Friday, the council argued that the state law he cited does not require that.
“We see nothing … that mandates delivery to the physical business office of the Registrar or prohibits deputy registrars from accepting ballots at multiple locations,” reads the letter signed by all seven council members.
The council wrote that the law “does not use the word ‘office’ at all. Rather, it requires only that an absentee ballot be delivered into the custody of the registrar or one of her deputies.”
The plan to add additional curbside drop-off locations would call for having those spots staffed by employees from Registrar Sandra Wilson’s office.
Among the reasons the council wanted to add drop-off spots was because of the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We therefore ask you to interpret the law in a way that eliminates barriers to safe access, not in a way that imposes them,” the letter reads.
The council asked Ardoin to respond by Monday.
“We implore you to reconsider your position regarding staffed collection satellites and avoid unnecessary legal entanglements,” the letter reads.
Ardoin’s office did not respond immediately Friday evening to a request for comment.
Curbside drop-off will only be available Oct. 28 to Nov. 2 during office hours.
Jefferson Parish will add a curbside option at the Yenni and Odom buildings.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.
