VOTE

All registered voters in Louisiana have the right to vote in elections for candidates and propositions on the ballot where they reside. The only closed election in Louisiana is the Presidential Preference Primary held every four years in the spring before the presidential election. View information on how to vote in the Presidential Preference Primary. Voters who are unable to read or who are disabled, including physical disability or a visual impairment, are able to vote with assistance.

Polls Open

Polls open at 7 a.m. for SATURDAY elections and at 6 a.m. for TUESDAY elections. Polls close at 8 p.m. All voters in line at 8 p.m. have the right to vote.

Get Prepared and Geaux Vote!

Be prepared to show a photo identification card with your photo and signature or a United States military identification card that contains your name and picture when voting. If you do not have a photo ID, you may obtain a free Louisiana special identification card by presenting your voter registration information card to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) or you may vote by affidavit after correctly answering identifying information before voting.

Never wear any campaign shirt, hat, and button or pin when voting. All polling places have a 600-foot campaign free zone.

View early voting locations to know where to vote early and find your voting precinct to know where to vote on Election Day. Download the free GeauxVote app to have this information easily accessible, to view your sample ballot two weeks prior to each election, to see upcoming election dates, and to sign up for electronic notifications.

Update your voter registration information online or contact your parish registrar of voters of any changes to your residential address to keep your voting status active. Inactive voters must verify their residential address before voting, either online, in person at the Registrar of Voters Office, or in-person on Election Day.

VOTE BY MAIL

In Louisiana, you must have a reason to be eligible to vote by mail, unless you are a military or overseas voter. There are specific reasons listed below that qualify you to vote by mail. You can submit an application requesting a mail ballot through our online system or you may print and mail an application directly to your registrar of voters.

Please be aware of standard mail delivery times and the return ballot deadline when applying for a mail ballot to ensure your voted ballot is received by the registrar of voters before the deadline. It is recommended that if you are going to request a mail ballot that you apply as soon as possible as there is no start date to apply.

Disabled voters, military voters, and overseas voters may be eligible to receive their mail ballot electronically. You may use the application forms below. If you need assistance in voting or additional information, contact your registrar of voters.

Online Application: You may request an absentee by mail ballot by logging in to the Louisiana Voter Portal and following these steps:

Click the "Search By Voter" button.
Type in your First Name, Last Name, and Zip Code or Birth Month and Year and then click the "Submit" button;
Click the "Request Absentee Ballot" link found under the Quick Links heading; and
Complete the requested information and submit.

Note: You must be logged in to the Voter Portal as the voter for whom the request is intended to electronically submit a request for an absentee ballot.

Print and Mail Application: You may also print an application to request an absentee by mail ballot which you can complete and deliver to your parish registrar of voters. Delivery may be by U.S. Postal Service, commercial carrier, hand delivery, or fax. If hand-delivered or faxed, the application can only be for you or your immediate family member. Select the application that applies to you:

General Application Form (see reasons to apply)
Disabled Application Form (see reasons to apply)
Military or Overseas Application Form

View upcoming election dates. You will need to list the election dates on your application.

View: Video for Completing Absentee by Mail Ballot

VOTE ON ELECTION DAY

View upcoming election dates.

When you go to the polls to cast your vote in an election, be sure to take one of the following:

a driver's license;
a Louisiana Special ID;
LA Wallet digital driver's license;
a United States military identification card that contains the applicant's name and picture; or
some other generally recognized picture ID that contains your name and signature.

If you do not have a driver's license, Louisiana Special ID, a United States military identification card that contains the applicant's name and a picture, or some other generally recognized picture ID that contains your name and signature, you may still cast your vote by signature on a voter affidavit.

You may get a free Louisiana Special ID at the Office of Motor Vehicles by showing your voter information card. If you have misplaced your voter information card, contact your registrar of voters for a new one or print your own by logging into the Louisiana Voter Portal as a voter. Click the 'Voter Registration' tab at the top then click the 'Print Voter Information' link located on the ribbon on the left-hand side.

Should any problems or questions arise, the principal office of the registrar of voters in each parish will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on all Saturday elections and 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on all Tuesday elections.

Election day voting hours are from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on all Saturday elections and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on all Tuesday elections. Don't forget to bring your picture ID to the polls!

Where to Vote

Use the Louisiana Voter Portal to find where you vote on election day, or call your parish Registrar of Voters Office. Your voter information card received by mail lists your polling place. Please pay special attention to make sure you go to the correct polling place.

Assistance to Voters

A visibly disabled voter and the person assisting him in voting shall go to the front of the line at their polling place.

A voter is entitled to receive assistance while voting if he/she is unable to read or unable to vote without assistance because of a physical disability, including being visually impaired. A voter may choose to use the audio ballot instead of receiving assistance.

A voter must either file a statement with the registrar in person or by mail if they need assistance in voting or provide certain documentation to the poll worker on election day.

A voter may receive assistance by providing a physician's certificate certifying to the disability, or a copy of a current mobility-impaired ID card issued by the Office of Motor Vehicles or a copy of current documentation showing eligibility for disability benefits from either social security, veteran's, paratransit services, Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities or benefits from Louisiana Rehabilitation Services.

Persons prohibited from assisting voters are as follows:

candidate in the election cannot assist a voter;
employer or employer's agent cannot assist an employee;
union agent cannot assist a union member
commissioner-in-charge; and
staff for a state residential facility cannot assist residents of their facility in voting.

Requirements of Person Assisting A Voter

A voter who is entitled to assistance in voting may receive the assistance of any person of his choice including a commissioner, except those prohibited.

Before a voter receives assistance on election day, the commissioner must print the voter's name and the assistant's name (including a commissioner providing assistance) behind the tab for Assistance to Voters in the back of the precinct register and check the box if the voter is not marked in the statewide voter registration system as eligible for assistance in voting. Then the assistant (including a commissioner providing assistance) must sign his name next to his printed name before being allowed to assist the voter.

In the event that a paper ballot must be used on election day, the person assisting the voter to vote a paper ballot must explain to the voter that a signature or mark made by the voter constitutes certification that all statements in the certificate are true and correct and that any person who knowingly provides false or incorrect statements is subject to a fine or imprisonment, or both.

The person assisting the voter to vote a paper ballot must sign the acknowledgment on the paper ballot envelope flap, verifying that the person providing the assistance has marked the ballot in the manner dictated by the voter.

If a voter is assigned to a polling place that is not accessible, the voter may cast his vote at the nearest polling place with the same ballot, or at the Registrar of Voters Office.

AVC Advantage Voting System for Election Day Voting

As of the Fall of 2006, all of Louisiana's voters began using the AVC Advantage voting systems for election day voting. On this direct recording electronic voting system, the entire ballot for the voter will appear on the screen.

Over a period of 15 years, the state began procuring these voting systems for 12 parishes in Louisiana. Since 2005, federal funds that were awarded through the Help America Vote Act of 2002 were used to procure voting systems for the remainder of the state.

The voting systems are smaller, lighter, and easier to operate than the old lever-operated machines. They receive rave reviews from the poll workers throughout the state. The ballot is easy to read since the type is larger. The AVC Advantage voting systems are wheelchair accessible and every voting machine is capable of using an audio voting keypad, available for voters with disabilities. The election results are easily printed and stored on a cartridge which is delivered to the clerk of court after the polls are closed for tabulation.

View a demonstration of the AVC Advantage voting system.

AVC Audio Voting Keypad

As of the Fall of 2006, all of Louisiana's voters have had access to using the AVC Audio Voting Keypad on either the AVC Advantage voting system or the AVC Edge voting system. The AVC Audio Voting Keypad will make both of these voting systems accessible to individuals who are visually impaired, physically disabled, struggle with the written word, unable to read the written word, or unable to read English.

There are no requirements for a voter to use the AVC Audio Voting Keypad.

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