§534. Change of polling places

            A. Once the location of a polling place is established, it may only be changed by a vote of the parish governing authority.

            B.(1) The location of a polling place shall not be changed during the period commencing on the date the qualifying period opens and ending on the date of the general election or, in the case of an election date exclusively for bond, tax, or other propositions or questions, during the period commencing on the forty-sixth day prior to the election and ending on the day of the election unless the location becomes unavailable due to an emergency caused by an act of God or when privately owned property being used as a polling place becomes unavailable through no fault of the governing authority.

            (2)(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Subsection A of this Section, if the location of a polling place becomes unavailable during the period defined in and due to the reasons provided in Paragraph (1) of this Subsection, the parish president may change the location of the polling place. The parish president shall submit written notice of the change as soon as practicable to the secretary of state.

            (b) A change in the location of a polling place made by a parish president pursuant to Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph shall not be permanent unless the governing authority of the parish votes to approve the change.

            (c) For purposes of this Paragraph, "parish president" means the president of any parish, mayor-president, mayor of New Orleans, parish administrator of Caddo Parish, or police jury president.

            Acts 1976, No. 697, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1978. Amended by Acts 1980, No. 506, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1981; Acts 1982, No. 559, §1, eff. July 22, 1982; Acts 1988, No. 909, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1989; Acts 1993, No. 418, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1994; Acts 2015, No. 307, §1, eff. June 29, 2015; Acts 2022, No. 618, §1; Acts 2025, No. 386, §1.