Voting in Louisiana

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The policies governing voter participation are enacted and enforced primarily at the state level. These policies, which include voter identification requirements, early voting provisions, online voter registration systems, and more, dictate the conditions under which people cast their ballots in their respective states.

This article includes the following information about voting policies in Louisiana:

See Election administration in Louisiana for additional information about election administration in the state, including voter list maintenance policies, provisional ballot rules, and post-election auditing practices.

Do you have questions about your elections? Looking for information about your local election official? Click here to use U.S. Vote Foundation’s election official lookup tool.

Voter registration

Eligibility and registration details

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Louisiana, one must be a United States citizen who resides in the state and parish in which he or she registers. A voter must be at least 18 years old by Election Day.[1]

Registration completed via mail or in person must occur at least 30 days before Election Day. Registration completed online must occur at least 20 days before Election Day. Registrants must present a valid form of identification to register. Pre-registration is available beginning at age 16.[1]

Voters may register in person at any Registrar of Voters office or any of the following places:[1]

  • Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles
  • Louisiana Department of Social Services
  • WIC offices
  • Food stamp offices
  • Medicaid offices
  • Offices and agencies serving people with disabilities
  • Military recruitment offices


In-person voting

Poll times

See also: State poll opening and closing times

In Louisiana, polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central time for Tuesday elections. For Saturday elections, polls open at 7:00 a.m. If the polls close while a voter is in line, he or she will still be permitted to vote.[2][3]

Voter identification

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Louisiana requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[4]

Voters can present the following forms of identification. This list was current as of April 11, 2023. Click here to ensure you have the most current information.

  • Louisiana driver's license
  • Louisiana special identification card
  • LA Wallet digital driver's license
  • Other generally recognized picture identification card that contains the name and signature of the voter

Voters who do not have accepted ID may vote by completing a voter identification affidavit. By law, voters who sign an affidavit may be challenged.[5]

Registered voters can bring their voter information card to the Office of Motor Vehicles to receive a free Louisiana special identification card.[4]

Early voting

See also: Early voting

Louisiana permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Absentee/mail-in voting

See also: Absentee/mail-in voting

The following individuals are eligible to vote absentee in Louisiana:[6]

  1. Senior citizens, 65 years of age or older
  2. Voters who expect to be temporarily absent from the state or their parish during the early voting period and on election day
  3. Offshore workers
  4. Residents of nursing homes, veterans' homes, or hospitals
  5. Students, instructors, or professors (as well as their spouses and dependents) who are living outside of their parish
  6. Ministers, priests, rabbis, or other members of the clergy who are assigned outside of their parish
  7. Voters who moved more than 100 miles from the seat of their former parish within 30 days of an election
  8. Voters who are involuntarily confined to a mental institution and have not been judicially declared incompetent
  9. Voters who expect to be hospitalized on Election Day
  10. Incarcerated voters who have not been convicted of a felony
  11. Participants in the secretary of state's Address Confidentiality Program
  12. Sequestered jurors


Local election officials

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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.

Voting rules for people convicted of a felony

See also: Voting rights for convicted felons

According to the Louisiana Secretary of State's office,

“ To reinstate your voter registration that was suspended for a felony conviction, you must appear in person at the registrar of voters office and provide documentation from the appropriate correction official showing that you are no longer under an order of imprisonment or, if under such order of imprisonment, that you have not been incarcerated pursuant to the order within the last five years and that you are not under an order of imprisonment related to a felony conviction for election fraud or any other election offense.

​The personal appearance requirement does not apply to a person approved as eligible for the Special Program for Handicapped Voters prior to January 1, 2010, or a person who has submitted to the registrar a current proof of disability from a physician as described in La R.S. 18:177(A)(2)(6)."[7][8]

”

Voting rights for people convicted of a felony vary from state to state. In the majority of states, people convicted of a felony cannot vote while they are incarcerated but may regain the right to vote upon release from prison or at some point thereafter.[9]

Election agencies

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See also: State election agencies

Individuals seeking additional information about voting provisions in Louisiana can contact the following state and federal agencies.

Secretary of State:

Physical address: 8585 Archives Ave., Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Mailing address: P.O. Box 94125, Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
Telephone: 225-922-0900
Toll-free: 800-883-2805
Fax: 225-922-0945
http://www.sos.la.gov/

U.S. Election Assistance Commission

633 3rd Street NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Telephone: 301-563-3919
Toll free: 1-866-747-1471

Noteworthy events

2021

On September 8, 2021, Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin (R) announced that Governor John Bel Edwards (D) had agreed to postpone the state's fall elections. The first-round and second-round elections were rescheduled to take place on November 13, 2021, and December 11, 2021, respectively. The first-round and second-round elections were originally scheduled to take place on October 9, 2021, and November 13, 2021. The governor's office confirmed the postponements on September 9, 2021.[10][11]

In a September 7, 2021, press release outlining his recommendation for the postponements, Ardoin said, "A number of issues stemming from Hurricane Ida's devastation, including questions about nursing home operations, postal service delivery, extensive power outages, polling location damages, and election commissioners and staff members still displaced, would make holding the election on its original dates virtually impossible without impairing the integrity of the election."[12]

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See also

Elections in Louisiana


External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Register to Vote," accessed April 11, 2023
  2. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "FAQ: Voting on Election Day," accessed April 11, 2023
  3. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Vote on Election Day," accessed April 11, 2023
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Vote on Election Day," accessed October 3, 2019
  5. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Louisiana voters' bill of rights and voting information," accessed April 11, 2023
  6. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Vote Absentee," accessed April 11, 2023
  7. ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed April 11, 2023
  8. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  9. ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Felon Voting Rights," April 6, 2023
  10. ↑ Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State, "SECRETARY OF STATE ARDOIN ANNOUNCES RESCHEDULING OF FALL 2021 ELECTIONS," September 8, 2021
  11. ↑ Office of the Governor of Louisiana, "Gov. Edwards Delays Fall Elections in Louisiana Following Hurricane Ida," September 9, 2021
  12. ↑ Office of the Louisiana Secretary of State, "SECRETARY OF STATE ARDOIN CALLS ON GOVERNOR TO RESCHEDULE FALL 2021 ELECTIONS," September 7, 2021
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