LOUISIANA (KLFY) -- Election officials are updating their voter registries of inactive voters.

Louisiana's Deputy Secretary of State for Communications, Joel Watson Jr., confirmed that Louisiana does not purge voter rolls. Instead, they conduct routine "voter list maintenance."

"It's not only a good way to ensure that our elections stay safe and accurate, but it's also federal law that we do that," Watson said.

When the secretary of state's office receives a change of address notification from the post office, election officials will send an address confirmation card.

"If that card is returned as undeliverable or never returned and filled out, that voter is moved to the inactive list," Watson said.

An inactive voter can still vote.

"They can confirm their address when they go to the polls or go into person at their registrar of voters office, show their ID, and proof of address," Watson said.

Individuals on last year's inactive list who need to update their addresses could be on this year's list. The inactive list in Lafayette Parish is 14,566.

Residents can visit geauxvote.com to check their voter status and update their address. 

"They can also go to the registrar of voters in person, and they can show their ID with their current address and confirm that way. If they don't want to do either of those things, they can vote during early voting or on Election Day," Watson said.

"They can show the voting commissioner their ID. They'll be asked to fill out an address confirmation card. Once they do that, they can vote that day and they're back on the active list," Watson continued.

Additionally, voters are only removed from the inactive list if they fail to vote in two federal elections. 

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