Louisiana Illuminator An Election Day line at Eleanor McMain Secondary School in New Orleans Nov. 3, 2020. (Photo by Jarvis DeBerry) Louisiana has a voting access problem, particularly in areas where Black voters reside. But one bill before the Louisiana Legislature, HB 286 sponsored by Rep. Frederick Jones (D-Monroe), would address this problem by increasing access to in-person voting and extending from seven days to 11 eleven days the window for early voting in presidential elections. The 2020 Election proved HB 286 is necessary. The election exposed the limitations of Louisiana’s in-person voting infrastructure and forced voters to rely on polling places that were stretched past their limits. Concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic caused more Louisianians than ever to vote early. There was a historically high turnout and historically long lines. However, those problems didn’t begin in 2020. Louisiana is one of several states that saw a drastic decrease in voting locations after the U.S. Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013 by removing federal oversight in states with a history of voting discrimination against Black voters.