St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1911-05-27
SIX MONTHS BEFORE
THE ELECTION
AttOrney.GensraI Gives An opinion On the
Question Of "Party AtfllIalIon''
ANSWER TO Mr.. PARKER
Person Who AfflIIates With other Parties GaR
Change Within SIX Months Of
Primary

Primary
; The following letter from At
: torney-General Guion, addressed
) to Governor Sanders is highly
interesting.
| It shows that voters can
change their party affiliation"
} within six months of a primary
election. In other words. If a
person should have originally
registered as a Republican or an
Independent, he may change his
registration to Democrat SIX
months previous to a Democratic
primary election. Or he may
change his affiliation from Dem
ocrat, to Republican, or Populist,
or what not.
Here is the Attorney Generals
letter:
New Orleans. La, April 10, III.
Governor ]. Y. Sanders, Baton
| Rouge, La.
! Dear Sir: Your letter of the
18th inst, enclosing me a copy
of one to you from Mr.. John M.
Parker, Chairman, !" dated 9Th
inst, has just reached me by
this mornings mail, and in reply
to yonr statement that the in
quiries submitted to you by Mr..
Parker are referred to me by you
for my consideration and opin-
ion, / beg to say that I find Mr..
Parker has asked two questions:
First. Can a voter who re-
fuses to state his party afiliation
at the time of registering, for
mally declare his party affiIiation
within six months Of the primary
election, = and
Second. 'sCan the voter who
presents himself for original
registration within six months OF
the primary election, and at that
time declares his party affiliation,
vote in the primary election.
My reply to the first question
| is that where a person, at the
time of registration, declines to
state his party affiliation, he is
not thereby deprived of the
right to make such declaration
at any time, but he will not be
permitted to participate in any
primary election held by any
political party, unless he shall
have declared to the registrar Of
voters his political affiliation ait
least six months prior to any such
primary election. Section e Of
Act No. 90 of 1903 is silent on
the subject, but, in view Of the
fact that the last paragraph OF
that section distinctly declares
that no one may change his
party afiliation unless the change
be made by applying to the Reg
istrar of Voters for that purpose
six months prior to any primary
election held by any political
party, /" it seems plain, to my
mind, that the legislature in
tended that no one should parti-
cipate in any party primary elec-
tion who had not declared his
political affiliation at least six
months previous to such primary
election, except, of course, those
persons who might register with
in six months of a primary cleo
ton.
I hold, therefore, that all per-
sons who may have registered
more than six months previous
to a primary election in this State
without declaring their party af-
filiation, and who desire to par
ticipate in a party primary cleo
ton, should do so, in the manner
required by Section 28 Of Act No.
SO of 1908, at least six months
previous to such election, and
that they are without righE to
make such declaration within six
months of such primary election.
Answering the second question
asked by Mr.. Parker, | beg to
say it seems plain that all per-
sons who present themselves for
original registration" within six
months of the date of a primary
election who, at the time of regis
tering, declare their party afflia-
ton, may vote in any primary
election held by the party with
which they declare their afhlia-
ton. Any other Interpretation
would nullify the law giving a
person the right to register up to
the time of the closing of the
registration, thirty days before
an election.
Yours respectfully,
WALTER GUION,
Attorney General.