Louisiana recently changed its open meetings law to say that “viva voce” voting – votes that are spoken aloud – are no longer required to conduct public business. Under the new requirement, a vote “that is displayed and recorded using electronic machines” will count as viva voce.

According to the Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate, the law may have been prompted by a lawsuit filed by the State Attorney General Liz Murrill, which claimed a commission had improperly voted using an electronic system. Her lawsuit was dismissed in January and the bill was prefiled later that month.

Louisiana SB1 was sponsored by a group of 11 state senators and was the first bill read in the 2025-2026 session. It passed nearly unanimously.

Posted: August 7, 2026
Category: Brechner News
Tagged as: Secrecy Tracker