§1280.22. Candidates; procedure for qualifying

A. Candidates for presidential nominee shall qualify in accordance with procedures established by the party. Prior to qualification as a candidate of a political party for presidential nominee, a person shall pay a qualifying fee of seven hundred fifty dollars and any additional fee as authorized by R.S. 18:464(C) or shall have obtained a nominating petition, bearing the handwritten signatures of no less than one thousand registered voters affiliated with the party from each of the congressional districts into which the state is divided. If the candidate is qualifying by paying a fee, the fee shall be paid in cash, by certified or cashier's check drawn on a state or national bank or credit union, by United States postal money order, or by a money order issued by a state or national bank or credit union.

B.(1) The qualifying period for presidential candidates shall open on the first Wednesday in December and shall close at 4:30 p.m. on the following Friday. During the qualifying period, presidential candidates shall file notices of candidacy with the secretary of state.

(2)(a) A notice of candidacy shall be in writing and shall state the candidate's name, the office he seeks, the address of his domicile, and the political party with which he is registered as being affiliated. The political party with which the candidate was affiliated at the time of qualifying is the one which shall appear on the ballot, even if the candidate changes his political party designation after he qualified for the election.

(b) The candidate shall designate in the notice the form in which his name shall be printed on the ballot. The candidate may designate his given, first, and middle name, the initials of his given, first, and middle name, a nickname, or any combination thereof as the form in which his name shall be printed on the ballot. However, he shall not designate a title, designation, or deceptive name, nor shall he designate an occupational or professional description or abbreviation. If the candidate designates a nickname in the place of or in combination with his given name or the initials thereof, the nickname shall be set off with quotation marks and shall be placed immediately preceding his surname. A candidate shall include his surname in his designation of the form in which his name shall be printed on the ballot.

(c) The notice of candidacy also shall include a certificate signed by the candidate, certifying that he has read the notice of his candidacy and that all of the statements contained therein are true and correct. The certificate shall be executed before a notary public. If the candidate is serving outside the state with the armed forces of the United States, his notice of candidacy shall be witnessed by a commissioned officer in the armed forces of the United States.

(d) A notice of candidacy shall be accompanied by the qualifying fee and any additional fee imposed or a nominating petition.

(3)(a) Each sheet of a nominating petition shall set forth the name of the presidential candidate, as it shall appear on the election ballot, the address of the candidate, the political party with which he is affiliated, and the date of the presidential primary.

(b) Each voter who signs a nominating petition shall include his name and residence address.

(c) All persons who obtained signatures shall certify that to the best of their knowledge, information, and belief all of the signatures on the nominating petition are genuine, and all of the statements contained in the petition are true and correct.

(d) A nominating petition shall be submitted to the registrars of voters in the parishes where the signers reside not less than thirty days before the end of the qualifying period.

(e) The registrar for each parish shall endorse upon the nominating petitions, whether original or supplemental, the date and time of submission and shall promptly certify the nominating petitions, in the order received, by determining and certifying on each nominating petition which of the signers are registered to vote in the parish. A registrar may stop certifying the signatures on a nominating petition when the total number of the signers he has certified as having signed the petition timely and as being registered to vote equals fifteen percent more than the number of registered voters required from the congressional district. A registrar's certification shall be conclusive as to number of qualified voters who timely signed a nominating petition, and evidence to the contrary shall not be admitted in an action objecting to the candidacy of a presidential candidate filing the nominating petition.

C.(1)(a) Any person who qualifies as a candidate for presidential nominee may withdraw his candidacy by filing a notice of his withdrawal that is signed by the candidate and duly acknowledged before an officer authorized to administer oaths. The notice of withdrawal shall be filed prior to 4:30 p.m. on the seventh day after the close of the qualifying period with the secretary of state, who shall note thereon the date it was filed.

(b) The secretary of state shall not accept a statement of withdrawal that does not satisfy the requirements of Subparagraph (a) of this Paragraph. The secretary of state shall endorse the date and time of receipt of such a notice of withdrawal and return the notice forthwith, either personally or by registered or certified mail.

(2) A notice of withdrawal filed in accordance with the provisions of Subparagraph (1)(a) of this Subsection shall become effective when it is filed with the secretary of state. The effect of the withdrawal shall be as provided in R.S. 18:502.

Added by Acts 1979, No. 684, §1, eff. Dec. 1, 1979; S.C.R. No. 4, 1983 2nd Ex. Sess; Acts 1984, No. 673, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1985; Acts 1986, No. 35, §1, eff. June 17, 1986; Acts 1986, No. 427, §1; Acts 1987, No. 831, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1988; Acts 1992, No. 944, §1; Acts 1995, No. 300, §1, eff. June 15, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 1420, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1998; Acts 2001, No. 1032, §7; Acts 2004, No. 526, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2005; Acts 2004, No. 604, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2005; Acts 2006, No. 845, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2007; Acts 2011, No. 293, §1; Acts 2015, No. 307, §1, eff. June 29, 2015; Acts 2015, No. 410, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2016.