Leaders involved in the recall effort against New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell scored a major win in their plight to get the effort on the ballot. A hearing was held Wednesday after a deal was met with the Secretary of State's Office where the total voter threshold was made 25,000 lower than it was. Prior to the threshold being lower, Orleans Parish had 249,876 total voters. With the lower threshold, that leaves the number at 224,876. This would likely lower the number of signatures needed for the recall effort to make it to a ballot. The final number of signatures needed for the recall is still not clear. The Secretary of State clarified that no voter would be labeled "inactive" or removed from the rolls. According to the Secretary of State, the lower threshold is another "simply the next step" in the process to review evidence brought forth by organizers of the recall. Recall organizers have still not said how many signatures they have gathered. A spokesperson for the recall effort issued the following statement regarding the decision in court: "Not one single voter in Orleans Parish will be removed from the voter rolls pursuant to the consent judgement that was entered today in court. "The voters who will be placed on the inactive list have moved outside of Orleans Parish and have notified the US Post Office of such or have died. As testified in court, any voter who is on the inactive list can vote in any election pursuant to La. R.S. 18:196." Click here to read the signed consent judgment from the proceedings.Earlier reports: Attorneys for the recall effort claim tens of thousands of dead or inactive voters are listed on the Orleans Parish voter rolls. The exact number of active voters in the parish is crucial to their efforts because in order to trigger a special election to oust Cantrell, organizers needed to secure a certain percentage of that number in signatures.It's a goal they say was met last Wednesday when just shy of 50,000 signatures were delivered to the registrar of voters officer. But now, recall leaders argue because many of the voters on the rolls are not active, the threshold of required signatures should be lowered.A secretary of state representative, however, confirmed that the 49,975 signatures are needed to recall the mayor because it is based on 20% of qualified voters, which is 249,876. Judge Jennifer Medley sided with the organizers regarding their request to know how accurate the voter rolls were and allowed the hearing to move forward despite pushback from the Secretary of State's Office and the Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters. The Louisiana Secretary of State issued the following statement regarding the accuracy of the voter rolls: “First and foremost, I reiterate that the responsibility of updating and maintaining an accurate voter registration list falls to the Registrar of Voters in each parish. While my role is limited, my office has complied with each and every process provided and allowed for in law related to voter list maintenance. "However, I have long argued that the law does not go far enough. It is vital that we have more tools to ensure an accurate voter registration list; namely, a supplemental canvass to address individuals who are deceased, ineligible to vote in Louisiana, or have moved out-of-state. Despite the fact that many of these voters will not be removed through our current, legally prescribed canvass or monthly list maintenance procedures, Governor Edwards has continued to deny my office and our parish Registrars of Voters this necessary tool by vetoing legislation that would provide for such in 2021 and 2022."As the law currently stands, my office has followed what we are legally allowed and required to do. I am confident in my office’s ability to conduct our part of the list maintenance process, but I continue to support stronger procedures, such as a supplemental voter canvass, and will support legislation to authorize one when it is presented to the legislature in the upcoming session.”The Orleans Parish Registrar of Voters Office issued a written statement regarding the voter rolls, which reads: The “Registrar’s Office” has received several questions about the next steps taken by the Registrar’s Office since the signed and dated recall petition for the Mayor of New Orleans has been filed by the recall campaign with the Registrar’s Office. To help the residents of Orleans Parish and other interested persons to better understand the certification process, the Registrar’s Office is providing answers to the Frequently Asked Questions:Q. Can I remove or add my name from the recall petition?A. Yes, the Registrar’s Office shall honor the written request of any voter who either desires to have the voter’s handwritten signature either stricken or removed from the recall petition or to have the voter’s handwritten signature added to the recall petition. The deadline to either remove or add a handwritten signature is Monday, February 27, 2023 at 4:30 p.m. See La. R.S. § 18:1300.3.Q. What does the Registrar’s Office do as part of the certification process?A. The Registrar’s Office certifies the following things: (1) the number of names appearing on the recall petition; (2) the number of qualified electors in Orleans Parish whose handwritten signatures appear on the recall petition; (3) the total number of electors of the voting area within Orleans Parish as of August 26, 2022, which is the date the recall petition was filed for the Mayor of New Orleans. SeeLa. R.S. § 18:1300.3.A.Q. What does the Registrar’s Office do after the certification process is complete for the office of the Mayor of New Orleans?A. Immediately after the recall petition is certified by the Registrar’s Office, a copy of the recall petition with the handwritten signatures shall be made by the Registrar of Voters and the original recall petition with the handwritten signatures is sent to the Governor for the State of Louisiana. See La. R.S. § 18:1300.C.(2).