By Frank Johnson
BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana began public testing of new voting technology this week as the state works to replace 35-year-old machines that are breaking down and can no longer be repaired.
Secretary of State Nancy Landry’s office hosted the first of six vendor demonstrations Tuesday at the Old Governor’s Mansion, showcasing Texas-based Hart InterCivic’s Verity Vanguard 2.0 system. Parish clerks, election officials and the public tested technology that could be used in next year’s congressional midterms.
Hart’s system, which received federal certification in August, uses three suitcase-sized machines and a lockbox for paper ballots. Voters receive a credit card-sized “voter pass” with a QR code, use it to activate an electronic ballot-marking device, then feed their completed paper ballot into an optical scanner.
The machines don’t connect to the internet and include security seals, locking doors and alarms that disable equipment if ports are accessed.
Critical need for upgrades
Louisiana’s current voting machines are 35 years old, with many broken and unrepairable due to unavailable replacement parts. The state needs to replace approximately 10,000 machines statewide.
The remaining vendor demonstrations will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at the Louisiana Old Governor’s Mansion, located at 502 North Blvd. in Baton Rouge:
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Sept. 9: Clear Ballot ClearVote Voting System
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Sept. 11: E S & S EVS 6.5.0.0 Voting System
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Sept. 15: Democracy Live Omni Ballot Tablet
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Sept. 16: Dominion Voting Systems Democracy Suite 5.20 Voting System
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Sept. 18: VotingWorks VxSuite 4 Voting System
Note: Day and Time subject to change
In Louisiana’s decentralized system, the clerk of court in each of the state’s 64 parishes manages elections and voting machines within their jurisdiction. These clerks coordinate with the secretary of state’s office on procurement while handling daily operations, training and equipment setup.
Implementation challenges
Natchitoches Parish Clerk of Court, David Stamey, who serves as the Parish’s Chief Election Officer, stated that there is lots of work ahead for the committee that will choose the next voting system. There will also be plenty of training to prepare the Election Commissioners who will be working with the new machines. Stamey said that the selected voting system will be tested in multiple parishes prior to it being implemented statewide. Stamey added that he isn’t on the selection committee but has been assured that it will feature battery backups and will include the paper trail that is desired by many. The committee is trying to improve on the already high rating the state enjoys in Election Integrity.
Political headwinds
Louisiana’s modernization effort faces federal political pressure that derailed previous attempts. In 2018, a contract with Dominion Voting Systems was challenged by competing vendors. A 2021 restart was halted by Trump supporters promoting conspiracy theories about voting machines.
President Donald Trump announced in August plans to sign an executive order eliminating voting machines and mail-in voting, claiming without evidence that machines are “highly inaccurate” and advocating watermark paper ballots for 2026 midterms.
Trump issued a March executive order seeking to force the Election Assistance Commission to decertify all previously certified voting machines within 180 days, affecting 39 states. Federal courts have temporarily blocked portions of the order.
Legal experts note the Constitution gives states, not the federal government, authority over election procedures. Constitutional law professor Michael Morley said “there’s really nothing that the executive branch can do on its own in terms of direct mandates” regarding state elections.
Moving forward
Louisiana seeks a hybrid electronic-paper system providing electronic voting speed with auditable paper records. The selection process involves system certification, procurement committee evaluation and legislative oversight before the secretary of state’s final decision.
Despite federal pressures and implementation challenges, Louisiana’s modernization effort addresses critical infrastructure needs as the state navigates technical requirements and the complex political environment surrounding election technology.
