Greetings League Friends!

The days are getting shorter and the nights longer. Having remembered the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina last month, we remain, mercifully, free of tropical storms so far this season. Speaking of Katrina, would you like to know about how the League addressed voting and elections issues in the aftermath of that storm? If so, check out the League of Women Voters of New Orleans’s publication “Out of the Storm: The League and the Election” on our LWVLA website.

As readers will remember from last month, Louisiana continues to dominate national voting rights and redistricting discussions in the Louisiana v. Callais case, which the U.S. Supreme Court will rehear on October 15. All eyes are the Court and how it will interpret Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. On September 3, LWVUS filed an amicus brief in the case, which you can read here.

Immigration issues continue to be a concern for the League, and they are also having an impact in Louisiana. Last month, the U.S. Customs and Immigration Service issued a policy update denying permission for third-party civic organizations to register newly naturalized citizens at naturalization ceremonies. This has been a cherished activity of the League, which has worked with USCIS for decades to welcome our newest Americans and to prepare them to exercise their right to vote. For now, it seems the ban does not extend to judicial naturalization ceremonies at courthouses and other locations. The League of Women Voters of New Orleans (LWVNO) was privileged to participated in one final USCIS-sponsored naturalization ceremony at the National World War II Museum on Constitution Day on September 17.  The League will be seeking every opportunity to continue our work with new citizens, which we have been doing in Louisiana since the 194os. Read the LWVUS response to the USCIS ban.

In another new wrinkle in the area of the immigration and voting, the Louisiana Secretary of State’s recent revelation that a review of 2.9 million Louisiana voter records, using a DOGE-created  Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, found only 390 noncitizens registered to vote and only 79 who actually voted over the last four decades. The League supports election integrity, accurate voter list maintenance, and effective voter verification systems. Louisiana was the first state to use the new SAVE system. The League does not affirm or endorse the accuracy of particular voter verification systems. Since this was an initial run of data, we await further word from the SOS about whether the system has produced an accurate picture of the Louisiana electorate while maintaining the privacy and security of voter data. More news to come on this.

We also look forward to information that may come from our separate lawsuit on the Louisiana documentary proof of citizenship (DPOC) that went into effect January 1, 2025. Voters and organizations that serve them remain without information about how the state will enforce the law, so that we can provide voters with the most correct and up-to-date information. We are seeking transparency about the DPOC law and what measures will be employed to enforce the law in ways that are constitutional and do not deter new citizens from registering to vote in Louisiana.

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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