Louisiana

Election Day: 

Election Day voting hours are from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST on all Saturday elections and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. CST on all Tuesday elections.  A voter in line by 8:00 p.m. CST has the right to vote. 

Early Voting:

Any registered voter can vote early in person. A voter does not need a reason to vote early at designated locations in each parish. 

Check with your parish registrar for information about where to vote early: https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Registrar.  

You can search for early voting sites online at https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/EarlyVoting.  

Vote by Mail (“Absentee Voting”):  

In Louisiana, voters, except military or overseas voters, must have a reason to be eligible to vote by mail. 

The list of valid reasons is available online: http://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Vote/ VoteByMail/Pages/default.aspx.  Valid reasons include, but are not limited to:

• being 65 years of age or older; 
• having a physical disability; 
• being incarcerated or hospitalized;
• being temporarily absent from your parish during the entire early voting period and election day, including absence as a result of attending or teaching at an institution of higher education.

You can submit an application requesting an absentee ballot through the Louisiana Voter Portal (https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/), or you may print and mail an application directly to your registrar of voters. Applications are available online at http://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Vote/VoteByMail/Pages/default.aspx. Applications must be received by 4:30 p.m. Central time on the fourth day before Election Day.  The registrar will mail the voter an absentee ballot.  The ballot must be received by the parish registrar by 4:30 p.m. Central time the day before Election Day.

How to Find Your Polling Place: You can find your polling place by checking the Louisiana Voter Portal “GeauxVote” website (https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/).  Or you can call your parish registrar (https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/registrar).

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Louisiana if you:

• Are a U.S citizen
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day
• Reside in Louisiana and the parish in which you want to vote

You are NOT eligible to vote in Louisiana if:

• You have been legally declared “mentally incompetent” by a court or partial interdiction with suspension of voting rights
• You are under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony

You may preregister to vote in Louisiana

• at the age 17 (16 if registering in person at the registrar of voters or at the office of motor vehicles)

How to register 

• Louisiana State Primary Election
  • Apply Online: Online by Wed Oct 19, 2022
  • Submit a Printed Application: Postmarked by Tue Oct 11, 2022
  • In-Person, Received by Tue Oct 11, 2022

The voter registration deadline is 30 days prior to an election if registering by mail or in person.  Voters registering online through Geaux Vote must register 20 days prior to the election in which they wish to vote. Please visit https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/RegisterToVote/Pages/default.aspx for more information.

Louisiana residents may register in person, by mail, or online. 

Online:  You can register to vote on the GeauxVote website (https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/VoterRegistration).

By Mail:  You can register to vote by downloading a mail-in form from the Louisiana Secretary of State website (https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/PublishedDocuments/ApplicationToRegisterToVote.pdf) and mailing it to your parish registrar of voters (https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Registrar).  The registrar of voters mails a verification mailing card to verify the address you provide when registering by mail.  If you do not receive a mailing from the registrar of voters within two weeks of registering, contact their office.

In person: You can register to vote in person at the following locations:

• At any parish registrar of voters (https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Registrar);
• Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles;
• Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services;
• WIC offices;
• food stamp offices;
• Medicaid offices;
• offices serving persons with disabilities such as the Deaf Action Centers and Independent Living Offices; or
• Armed Forces recruitment offices.

Identification Required for Registration:  You are required to prove age, residency and identity.  

A Louisiana driver’s license or Louisiana special ID card is required to register to vote electronically, because there is an audit code on the card that you must enter. The audit code is a four digit number labeled AUDIT on the front of the license.

NOTE: A Louisiana mobility impaired card is not an acceptable form of identification because it does not contain a signature.

For registration applications submitted by mail, a Louisiana driver’s license or Louisiana special identification card is preferred. But if not available, the registrant may use the last four digits of voter’s social security number to register. 

If registering to vote in person at a parish Local Registrar Office, you are required to prove age, residency, and identity. You must submit your current Louisiana driver’s license, if you have one, or your birth certificate or other documentation which reasonably and sufficiently establishes your identity, age and residency. If you have no driver’s license, special Louisiana ID or social security number, you may provide a picture ID, a utility bill, payroll check or government document that includes your name and address.

If registering at a mandated site, no further proof of identification is required other than whatever proof is required for services received that you have applied for at the public agency.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• By Fax
• Online

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• By Fax

Louisiana State Primary Election

Ballot Request:

• Received by Fri Nov 4, 2022 4:30PM CDT

Ballot Return:

• Received by Mon Nov 7, 2022 4:30PM CST

Early Voting:

• Early Voting from Tue Oct 25, 2022 8:30AM CDT to Tue Nov 1, 2022 6:00PM CDT

If You Want to Vote Early In-Person: 

All registered voters can vote early in person.  You do not need to provide a reason to vote early in person.

Early voting: from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CST. Voters should check with their parish registrar for information about where to vote early: https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/Registrar. Or you can search for early voting sites online at https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/EarlyVoting. 

If You Want to Vote Absentee by Mail: 

You can vote absentee by mail if you are able to provide a valid reason.  The list of valid reasons is available online:  http://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Vote/VoteByMail/Pages/default.aspx.  Valid reasons include – but are not limited to (click on link for full list): being 65 years of age or older; having a physical disability; being incarcerated or hospitalized; or you anticipate being temporarily absent from your parish during the entire early voting period and election day, including for the reason of attending or teaching at an institution of higher education outside your parish. You can submit an application requesting an absentee ballot through the Louisiana Voter Portal (https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/), or you may print and mail an application directly to your registrar of voters.  Applications are available online at http://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Vote/VoteByMail/Pages/default.aspx.  Applications must be received by 4:30 p.m. Central time on the fourth day before Election Day.  The registrar will mail the voter an absentee ballot.  The ballot is due back to the parish registrar by 4:30 p.m. Central time the day before Election Day.  A timely postmark is not enough.

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Louisiana you should provide one of the following:

• Your Louisiana Driver’s License Number
• Louisiana Special ID Card Number
• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number

If you do not have any of these IDs, you can provide a copy of one of the following with your registration application:

• Current and Valid Photo ID
• Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address
• Government Check
• Bank Statement
• Paycheck that Shows your Current Name and Address
• Current Utility Bill

You can alternatively provide one of these documents when you vote to complete your registration. If you do not have one of these forms of ID and need help getting ID, go to www.voteriders.org.

Voting In-Person

If you are registered to vote in Louisiana, you are required to show ID to vote; or, if you do not have an accepted ID you may instead sign an affidavit. Accepted forms of ID include:

• Valid Louisiana Driver’s License
• Louisiana Special ID Card
• Other generally recognized picture identification card that contains the name and signature of voter

If you do not have one of the Louisiana valid IDs and need help getting ID, go to www.voteriders.org.

If you do not have a valid ID, you may still cast your vote by signature on a voter affidavit, but your vote may be susceptible to a challenge.

Moving within the Same Precinct:

Go to your regular polling location.  You should ask for, and fill out, an address confirmation card.  You can cast a regular ballot. 

Moving within the Same Parish:

You can still vote at your old polling place by regular ballot.  You should ask for, and fill out, an address confirmation card; this change will take effect after the general election.  If you appear on the “inactive voter list,” you may need to complete an address confirmation card, which affirms your new address.

Moving Between Parishes:

You must re-register when you move to a new parish.  If you forgot to re-register, you can still vote at your old polling place by regular ballot, provided that you moved within the last three months.  You should ask for, and fill out, an address confirmation card; this change will take effect after the general election.  If you appear on the “inactive voter list,” you may need to complete an address confirmation card, which affirms your new address and that you moved within the last three months. If the move was over three months ago, you must re-register before the registration deadline.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number
• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID

Registering and Requesting an Absentee BallotMilitary and overseas citizens may register to vote or change their registration online (at voterportal.sos.la.gov/VoterRegistration) or print an application to register to vote and return it by mail or fax to their parish registrar of voters.  They can use the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), also known as Standard Form 76, to register to vote and to request an absentee ballot.  Visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Louisiana-specific FPCA webpage (https://www.fvap.gov/louisiana).  Military and overseas citizens can send and receive voting materials by fax and email.  If you wish to use the fax or email options, you must indicate this on your FPCA. 

A misdemeanor conviction does not disqualify a person from voting in Louisiana.  If you have been convicted of a felony, you can vote if you are no longer under an order of imprisonment (including probation, suspended sentences, and parole) OR (a) you have not been incarcerated within the last five years (even if you are still under an order of imprisonment, i.e. on probation or parole) and (b) the order of imprisonment is not related to a felony conviction for election fraud or certain other election offenses.  However, you must restore your right to vote by appearing in person at the registrar of voters office, completing a voter registration application, and providing documentation from the appropriate correction official to prove that the you have not been incarcerated pursuant to an order of imprisonment (i.e. on probation or parole) within the last five years.