Annual registration of conductors of public opinion polls; penalty for failure

A. (1) Any persons, associations, partnerships, or corporations who offer themselves to the public as professional poll takers shall register with the secretary of state before commencing such activity and annually thereafter not later than February fifteenth of each year. Only the managing or overseeing party responsible for conducting the poll must register under this Act, and it will not be necessary for individuals hired by the managing or overseeing party to register on an individual basis. (2) Such registration shall state that the person, association, partnership, or corporation is engaging in the making of public opinion polls or samplings in the state of Louisiana; the name and current mailing address of the person, association, partnership, or corporation under which the polls are conducted; the name and current mailing address of the principal executive officer thereof; and the year for which the registration is filed. It shall be signed by the principal executive officer thereof. The secretary of state is directed to collect a registration fee as provided in R.S. 49:222 for each such registration. B. Failure to comply with the provisions of this section shall be punishable, for the first offense, by a fine of one hundred dollars or ten days in jail, or both; for the second offense, by a fine of two hundred dollars or ten days in jail, or both; and for the third offense, by a fine of five hundred dollars or ten days in jail, or both. C. The secretary of state shall keep the registrations filed with him under this section as a part of the permanent public records of his office and may cause same to be published annually.