Louisiana Voter Rolls Trimmed by Nearly 500,000 Names

Louisiana’s voter rolls have been trimmed dramatically, but Secretary of State Nancy Landry says that does not mean nearly half a million people have lost their right to vote. Landry told KEEL News on Monday, "We don't use the word 'purge.'" She said what actually happened was a large move of registered voters to inactive status as part of regular list maintenance required by law.

That distinction matters because a lot of Louisiana voters may see scary claims online and assume they have been removed from the system entirely. Landry says that is not what happened.

What actually changed with Louisiana Voter Rolls

Landry said, “We don’t use the word purge. We move people to the inactive list if we’re not able to confirm their address, and they can still vote when they’re on the inactive list.”

She explained that Louisiana used a new tool this year under a 2024 law that allowed the state to send address confirmation cards to people who had not voted in 10 years or more. If those voters did not respond, they could be shifted to inactive status.

When asked about the number being discussed on social media, Landry said, “That’s not how many were moved this year, but there’s around 450 total on the inactive list now.”

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That means the number drawing attention is not a count of people newly dropped from the rolls this year. It is the rough total of inactive voters currently on the books.

Can Inactive Louisiana Voters Still Cast a Ballot?

Yes. That was one of Landry’s clearest points in the interview.

“Remember, you can still vote if you’re on the inactive list,” she said. “If you come to vote, you will be allowed to vote. We will just confirm your address while you’re there and then you will be moved back to the active list.”

The Louisiana Secretary of State’s office also says inactive voters can return to active status by verifying their residential address before voting, including on Election Day.

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Landry said the spike was tied to the new law and to a broader effort to clean up the state’s registration lists. She said, “The foundation of clean elections starts with clean voter lists.”

She also noted that these are often people who have not voted in a decade or longer and may no longer live in Louisiana or may have passed away.

For voters worried about their own status, Landry said the simplest step is to check GeauxVote.com or to download the GeauxVote App.  In a year with new election rules and more scrutiny on the system, that quick check could save a lot of confusion later.