Ballot access requirements for political candidates in Louisiana

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Note: This article is not intended to serve as an exhaustive guide to running for public office. Individuals should contact their state election agencies for further information.

In order to get on the ballot in Louisiana, a candidate for state or federal office must meet a variety of state-specific filing requirements and deadlines. These regulations, known as ballot access laws, determine whether a candidate or party will appear on an election ballot. These laws are set at the state level. A candidate must prepare to meet ballot access requirements well in advance of primaries, caucuses, and the general election.

There are three basic methods by which an individual may become a candidate for office in a state.

  1. An individual can seek the nomination of a state-recognized political party.
  2. An individual can run as an independent. Independent candidates often must petition in order to have their names printed on the general election ballot.
  3. An individual can run as a write-in candidate.

This article outlines the steps that prospective candidates for state-level and congressional office must take in order to run for office in Louisiana. For information about filing requirements for presidential candidates, see "Ballot access requirements for presidential candidates in Louisiana." Information about filing requirements for local-level offices is not available in this article (contact state election agencies for information about local candidate filing processes).

Louisiana utilizes a majority voting system, adopted in 1975, in which a candidate must win an outright majority of the vote in order to be elected. If no candidate meets that threshold in the general election, the top two vote-getters, regardless of partisan affiliation, advance to a runoff election. For more information about Louisiana's electoral system, see this article.

DocumentIcon.jpg See state election laws

Year-specific filing information

2024

U.S. Senate

For information on candidate ballot access requirements in Louisiana, click here.

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Louisiana in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Louisiana, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required[1] Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Louisiana U.S. House Democratic or Republican 1,000 $900.00 7/19/2024 Source
Louisiana U.S. House Unaffiliated 1,000 $600.00 7/19/2024 Source


For filing information from previous years, click "[Show more]" below.

Show more

2023

Governor

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Louisiana in the 2023 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Louisiana, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2023
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source Notes
Louisiana Governor All candidates 5,000, with at least 500 from each congressional district $750.00 8/10/2023 Source Petition only required in lieu of filing fee.

State legislature

The table below details filing requirements for Louisiana House of Representatives candidates in the 2023 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2023
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Louisiana House of Representatives Qualified party 400 $225.00 8/10/2023 Source
Louisiana House of Representatives Unaffiliated 400 $225.00 8/10/2023 Source


The table below details filing requirements for Louisiana State Senate candidates in the 2023 election cycle.

Filing requirements for state legislative candidates, 2023
Chamber name Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Louisiana State Senate Qualified party 500 $300.00 8/10/2023 Source
Louisiana State Senate Unaffiliated 500 $300.00 8/10/2023 Source


2022

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Louisiana in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Louisiana, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required[2] Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Louisiana U.S. Senate Democratic or Republican 5,000, including at least 500 signatures from each congressional district $900.00 7/22/2022 Source
Louisiana U.S. Senate Unaffiliated 5,000, including at least 500 signatures from each congressional district $600.00 7/22/2022 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Louisiana in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Louisiana, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022
State Office Party Signatures required[3] Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Louisiana U.S. House Democratic or Republican 1,000 $900.00 7/22/2022 Source
Louisiana U.S. House Unaffiliated 1,000 $600.00 7/23/2022 Source

2020

U.S. Senate

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates in Louisiana in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Louisiana, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Louisiana U.S. Senate All parties N/A N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana U.S. Senate Unaffiliated N/A N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source

U.S. House

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Louisiana in the 2020 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Louisiana, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2020
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Louisiana 1st Congressional District All parties 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 1st Congressional District Unaffiliated 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 2nd Congressional District All parties 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 2nd Congressional District Unaffiliated 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 3rd Congressional District All parties 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 3rd Congressional District Unaffiliated 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 4th Congressional District All parties 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 4th Congressional District Unaffiliated 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 5th Congressional District All parties 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 5th Congressional District Unaffiliated 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 6th Congressional District All parties 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source
Louisiana 6th Congressional District Unaffiliated 0 N/A $900.00 Fixed number 7/24/2020 Source

2018

See also: State and federal candidate filing deadlines for 2018 and Louisiana elections, 2018

See below for 2018 candidate filing deadlines.

July 20, 2018

2016

See also: Louisiana elections, 2016

The calendar below lists key dates for political candidates in Louisiana in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline Event type Event description
September 8, 2015 Campaign finance "180th day prior to primary report" due
December 2, 2015 Ballot access Qualifying period opens for presidential preference and municipal primaries
December 4, 2015 Ballot access Qualifying period closes for presidential preference and municipal primaries
December 7, 2015 Campaign finance "90th day prior to primary report" due
February 4, 2016 Campaign finance "30th day prior to primary report" due
February 24, 2016 Campaign finance "10th day prior to primary report" due
March 5, 2016 Election date Presidential preference primary and municipal primary elections
March 15, 2016 Campaign finance "Election Day expenditures report" due
March 23, 2016 Campaign finance "10th day prior to general report" due
April 2, 2016 Election date Municipal general election
April 12, 2016 Campaign finance "Election Day expenditures report" due
May 12, 2016 Campaign finance "40th day after general report" due
May 12, 2016 Campaign finance "180th day prior to primary report" due
July 20, 2016 Ballot access Qualifying period opens for open primary election
July 22, 2016 Ballot access Qualifying period closes for open primary election
August 10, 2016 Campaign finance "90th day prior to primary report" due
October 11, 2016 Campaign finance "30th day prior to primary report" due
October 29, 2016 Campaign finance "10th day prior to primary report" due
November 8, 2016 Election date Open primary election
November 18, 2016 Campaign finance "Election Day expenditures report" due
November 30, 2016 Campaign finance "10th day prior to general report" due
December 10, 2016 Election date Open general election
December 20, 2016 Campaign finance "Election Day expenditures report" due
January 19, 2017 Campaign finance "40th day after general report" due
February 15, 2017 Campaign finance "Annual report" due
Sources: Louisiana Secretary of State, "2016 Elections," June 2014
Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Schedule of Reporting and Filing Dates for Candidates and PACs Supporting or Opposing Candidates, Primary Election–March 5, 2016, General Election–April 2, 2016," accessed June 30, 2015
Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Schedule of Reporting and Filing Dates for Candidates and PACs Supporting or Opposing Candidates, Primary Election–November 8, 2016, General Election–December 10, 2016

2015


2014


Process to become a candidate

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 18: Louisiana Election Code of the Louisiana Revised Statutes

Qualifying for the ballot

In Louisiana, all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, run in the general election. If a candidate receives a majority of the vote in the general election, he or she wins outright. If no candidate meets that threshold, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters. A candidate cannot run for more than one office in a general or runoff election. A candidate is also prohibited from running for two or more different offices to be filled at separate elections.[10]

All candidates, regardless of partisan affiliation (or lack thereof), qualify in the same way and at the same time. For gubernatorial elections, the candidate qualifying period begins on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August in the year of the election and ends at 4:30 p.m. on the following Thursday. For congressional elections, the candidate qualifying period begins on the third Wednesday in July in the year of the election and ends at 4:30 p.m. on the following Friday.[11][12]

To qualify, a candidate must file with the Louisiana Secretary of State. A candidate must file a notice of candidacy form and either pay a filing fee or file a nominating petition. After qualifying, a candidate for state executive office or state legislative office is required to obtain at least one hour of ethics education and training.[13][14][15][16]

Notice of candidacy

The notice of candidacy form must be signed either in the presence of a notary public or of registered voters eligible to vote for the office being sought by the candidate. The form must certify the following:[14][17]

  • the candidate's name and the way in which he or she would like it to appear on the ballot
  • the office being sought by the candidate
  • the candidate's residential address, including the parish, ward, and precinct where the candidate is registered to vote
  • the name of the recognized party the candidate is affiliated with, a designation of "other" if the candidate is affiliated with a non-recognized political party, or a designation of "no party" if the candidate is not affiliated with any political party (this designation cannot change after the notice of candidacy is filed)
  • that the candidate is a registered voter in the district he or she wishes to represent
  • that the candidate is not under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony and is not prohibited from qualifying as a candidate for conviction of a felony
  • if running for state office, that the candidate has filed his or her state and federal tax returns for the past five years or was not required to file returns
  • if running for state office, that the candidate acknowledges that he or she is subject to the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act, does not owe any outstanding fines, fees, or penalties, and has filed any reports due prior to filing the notice of candidacy form
  • that the candidate is knowledgeable of all election rules and laws pertaining to the election in which he or she is running, specifically those prohibiting political campaign signs on public property.

Filing fee

If a candidate opts to pay the filing fee, it must be paid in cash, by certified check, by cashier's check, or by money order. Established political parties may assess a political party fee to be paid by their candidates. All fees must be paid to the Louisiana Secretary of State at the time of qualifying. Candidates serving in the United States Armed Forces are not required to pay the filing fee.[15][18]

Fees vary according to the office being sought and are detailed in the table below.[19]

Filing fees
Office sought Filing fee Party fee (for Democratic or Republican candidates)
Governor $750.00 $375.00
State executive office other than governor, United States Senator, United States Representative $600.00 $300.00
State Senator $300.00 $150.00 to the state central committee ($150 if assessed by parish executive committee)
State Representative $225.00 $112.50 to the state central committee ($112.50 if assessed by parish executive committee)

Nominating petition

If a candidate opts to file a nominating petition in lieu of paying the filing fee, he or she may begin circulating petitions 120 days before the qualifying period begins. Signatures for the petition must be collected from registered voters eligible to vote for the office the candidate is seeking. Signature requirements vary according to the office being sought and are detailed in the table below.[19][20]

Signature requirements for nominating petitions
Office sought Number of signatures required
State executive office or office in the U.S. Senate 5,000, with no less than 500 coming from each congressional district
Office in the U.S. House of Representatives 1,000
Office in the Louisiana State Senate 500
Office in the Louisiana House of Representatives 400

Challenging a candidacy

Any registered voter may challenge the candidacy of a candidate running for an office for which the challenger is an eligible elector. To do so, the registered voter must present evidence that a candidate has illegally qualified for office to the respective parish district attorney. The district attorney will then determine whether the evidence presented by the registered voter establishes grounds for challenging the candidate's qualified status. If the district attorney determines that the evidence does establish grounds against the candidate, the district attorney must file an action objecting to that candidate.[21]

Any objection to a candidate must be filed no later than seven days after the close of the candidate qualifying period, unless that day falls on a weekend or holiday, in which case the objection must be filed by the next business day.[22]

Petition requirements

See also: Methods for signing candidate nominating petitions

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Title 18, Section 441 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes

In some cases, political parties and/or candidates may need to obtain signatures via the petition process to gain ballot access. This section outlines the laws and regulations pertaining to petitions and circulators in Louisiana.

Format requirements

Petitions in Louisiana are used by candidates who do not wish to pay the filing fee when qualifying to run for office. The Louisiana Secretary of State prepares and furnishes copies of forms that candidates may use as their nominating petitions. However, candidates may also use forms of their own design to collect signatures, as long as each sheet of the nominating petition contains the following information:[23]

  • the name of the candidate seeking election
  • the candidate's residence address
  • the office being sought by the candidate
  • the candidate's political party affiliation, if any
  • the date of the election for which the candidate seeks to qualify

Signature requirements

When signing a nominating petition, an individual must provide his or her name in printed form, the date on which he or she signed the petition, and his or her residence address, including the ward and precinct. Once a signer has signed a nominating petition, the signature may not be withdrawn.[23]

Circulation requirements

Circulators of petitions must witness the signing of every signature on the petition. When filing the nominating petition, the candidate and all circulators who collected signatures on his or her behalf must certify on the nominating petition that to the best of their knowledge, all signatures on the petition are genuine and all statements on the petition are true and correct.[23]

Election-related agencies

Seal of Louisiana
See also: State election agencies

Louisiana Secretary of State

Physical address: 8585 Archives Ave., Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70809
Mailing address: P.O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70804-9125
Telephone: 225-922-0900
Toll-free: 800-883-2805
Fax: 225-922-0945
Website: http://www.sos.la.gov/
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Do you need information about elections in your area? Are you looking for your local election official? Click here to visit the U.S. Vote Foundation and use their election official lookup tool.

Term limits

Louisiana state executives and legislators are subject to term limits. These limits are established by Article IV of the Louisiana Constitution and Amendment 2, which was passed by voters in 1995.

State executives

State Executive Officials
See also: State executives with term limits and States with gubernatorial term limits

The governor may serve only two consecutive terms.[24]

State legislators

See also: State legislatures with term limits

Members of the Louisiana State Legislature may serve no more than three consecutive terms.[25]

Congressional partisanship

Portal:Legislative Branch
See also: List of United States Representatives from Louisiana and List of United States Senators from Louisiana

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the congressional delegation from Louisiana.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Louisiana
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 0 1 1
Republican 2 5 7
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 6 8

State legislative partisanship

Portal:State legislatures

Below is the current partisan breakdown of the state legislature of Louisiana.

Louisiana State Senate

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 12
     Republican Party 27
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 39

Louisiana House of Representatives

Party As of January 2024
     Democratic Party 33
     Republican Party 71
     Independent 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 105

Related legislation

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The embedded table below lists state bills affecting ballot access requirements for candidates introduced in Louisiana. The following information is included for each bill:

  • State
  • Bill number
  • Official name or caption
  • Most recent action date
  • Legislative status
  • Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, simply click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.

Ballotpedia’s comprehensive Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker is the basis for this data. This user-friendly tracker covers thousands of election-related bills in state legislatures, and organizes them by topic with neutral, expert analysis from Ballotpedia’s election administration researchers.

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See also

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External links

Official state and federal links

Other information

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Petition signatures only required in lieu of a filing fee.
  2. ↑ Petition signatures only required in lieu of a filing fee.
  3. ↑ Petition signatures only required in lieu of a filing fee.
  4. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2015 Elections," accessed February 11, 2015
  5. ↑ Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "Schedule of Reporting and Filing Dates, 2015," accessed February 11, 2015
  6. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State Website, "How Are Candidates Elected?" accessed November 12, 2013
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "2014 Elections," accessed November 12, 2013
  8. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 441," accessed November 12, 2014
  9. ↑ Supervisory Committee on Campaign Finance Disclosure, "Schedule of Reporting and Filing Dates for Candidates and PACs Supporting or Opposing Candidates," Updated April 2014
  10. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 453," accessed May 22, 2023
  11. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 467," accessed May 22, 2023
  12. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 468," accessed May 22, 2023
  13. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 462," accessed May 22, 2023
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Louisiana Secretary of State Website, "Qualify for an Election," accessed May 22, 2023
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Louisana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 461," accessed May 22, 2023
  16. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 461.1," accessed May 22, 2023
  17. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 463," accessed May 22, 2023
  18. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 464," accessed May 22, 2023
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Fees/Nominating Petitions to Qualify for Office," accessed May 22, 2023
  20. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 465," accessed May 22, 2023
  21. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 491," accessed May 22, 2023
  22. ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 493," accessed May 22, 2023
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Louisiana Revised Statutes, "Title 18, Section 465," accessed May 22, 2023
  24. ↑ Louisiana Constitution, "Article IV, Section 3," accessed May 22, 2023
  25. ↑ Louisiana Constitution, "Article 4, Section 3," accessed May 22, 2023
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