19:15A-2 Appointment of challengers for early voting.
2. a. The appointment of challengers for early voting shall be in the following manner:
(1) The chairperson of the county committee of any political party that has duly nominated any candidate for public office to be voted for at an election by all the voters within the county or any political division thereof greater than a single municipality, or where the election is within and for a single municipality only, or any subdivision thereof, then the chairperson of the municipal committee of the political party making such nomination within and for such single municipality, or subdivision thereof, may appoint two challengers for each grouping of candidates choosing to be grouped together on the ballot for each early voting site in the chairperson's county or municipality, as the case may be. If two or more candidates choosing to be grouped together on the ballot do not belong to an organization represented by a county or municipal committee of any political party, as the case may be, the candidate listed on the highest position on the ballot for that grouping of candidates may appoint two challengers for that grouping of candidates for each early voting site in the county or municipality, as the case may be.
(2) A candidate who has filed a petition for an office to be voted for at the primary election, and a candidate for an office whose name may appear upon the ballot to be used in any election, may act as a challenger. A candidate who is not grouped with any other candidate on the ballot may appoint two challengers for each early voting site at which the candidate is to appear on the ballot, but only two challengers shall be allowed for each early voting site to represent all the candidates choosing to be grouped together on the ballot.
(3) Whenever a public question shall appear on the ballot to be voted upon by the voters of an election district and application has been made by the proponents or opponents of such public question for the appointment of challengers, the county board may in its discretion appoint two challengers each to represent such proponents or opponents at each early voting site.
b. Not more than the challengers authorized pursuant to paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection a. of this section shall be present at any one time in any early voting site while serving and exercising the powers of a challenger and during the hours when the polls are open for early voting.
c. The name and address of each challenger, including a candidate acting as a challenger or a challenger representing a grouping of two or more candidates, together with the number or name and location of the early voting site at which the challenger is to serve, shall be filed with the county board of elections not later than the fifth day preceding the start of the early voting period.
d. Each challenger, including a candidate acting as a challenger or a challenger representing a grouping of two or more candidates, shall have all of the powers of challengers serving at other elections, as provided for in R.S.19:7-5 and by R.S.19:15-1 et seq.
e. Any voter whose name does not appear on a challenge list but who is challenged as not qualified or entitled to vote by a challenger duly appointed pursuant to this section shall be entitled to the rights and protections provided by R.S.19:15-18 et seq., and every other applicable section of this Title.
L.2021, c.40, s.2.