The secretary of state must suspend a non-attorney notary public’s commission if the notary loses parish voter registration or is convicted of a felony.
§16. Administrative revocation of notarial commission or authority A. The secretary of state shall suspend the commission of a notary public who is not an attorney when the notary ceases to be a registered voter in the parish of that notary's commission, or is convicted of a felony. The secretary of state shall send a notice of suspension by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the notary public stating the reasons for his suspension. B. If the suspension arises from failure of the notary to be registered as a voter in his parish of commission, the notice of suspension shall give the notary public ten days from the date of receipt to register as a voter in the parish of his commission. If the notary public fails to do so, the secretary of state shall notify the attorney general or the district attorney of the parish in which the notary is commissioned for the purpose of instituting a rule to show cause to revoke the commission pursuant to R.S. 35:15. C. If the suspension arises from conviction of a felony, the period of suspension shall continue until the conviction is final and all appellate review of the original trial court proceedings has been exhausted. If the conviction is reversed upon appeal, or if a pardon is issued for the conviction, the suspension shall terminate and the commission shall be reinstated. When the conviction is final and all appellate review of the original trial court proceedings is exhausted, and if no pardon has been issued, the secretary of state shall notify the attorney general or the district attorney of the parish in which the notary is commissioned for the purpose of instituting a rule to show cause to revoke the commission pursuant to R.S. 35:15. Acts 2012, No. 279, §1; Acts 2016, No. 116, §1.