The Louisiana secretary of state is cleaning out its list of registered voters for the first time since Hurricane Katrina and more than 100,000 inactive voters have been identified, according to an article in The Times-Picayune this week.

Those inactive voters could have their names removed from election rolls before the 2008 general election if they fail to update their records.

The vast majority of those inactive voters identified by the secretary of state’s office are in Orleans Parish, where, in the aftermath of Katrina, it is believed that much of the minority Democratic base of support has not returned. That could be significant in next year’s Senate race between Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) and state Treasurer John Kennedy (R).

Voters whose names are removed from state voting lists could still vote on Election Day as long as they bring identification and fill out new address confirmation cards.

A spokesman for the secretary of state’s office told the newspaper that the audit of voter registration is a standard procedure that takes place every two years. Almost 84,000 inactive voters were dropped after the 2004 canvass. After Katrina devastated the region the state Legislature suspended the canvass until this year.

— John McArdle