Voter Qualifications
To register to vote you must:
- be a U.S. citizen;
- be 17 years old (16 years old if registering in person at the Registrar of Voters Office or at the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles), but must be 18 years old to vote;
- not be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony or, if under such an order not have been incarcerated pursuant to the order within the last five years and not be under an order of imprisonment related to a felony conviction for election fraud or any other election offense pursuant to La. R.S. 18:1461.2;
- not be under a judgment of full interdiction for mental incompetence or partial interdiction with suspension of voting rights;
- reside in the state and parish in which you seek to register; and
- must be registered at least 20 days prior to an election if registering through our GeauxVote Online Registration System with a Louisiana driver's license or Louisiana special ID card or 30 days prior to an election if registering in person or by mail to be eligible to vote in that particular election. If mailing in an application, the application or envelope must be postmarked 30 days prior to the first election in which you seek to vote.
View special provisions for military and overseas voters.
All voter registration information and applications of persons who are 16 or 17 years of age are confidential. For all other registered voters, the following information is confidential:
- driver's license number;
- social security number;
- day and month of voter's birth;
- mother's maiden name;
- email address;
- text message service; and
- if a voter is entitled to assistance in voting.
Registration Deadlines
Eligible individuals can register to vote at any time; however, the deadline to register vote in an upcoming election is:
- at least 20 days prior to the election in which you seek to vote if registering through GeauxVote Online with a Louisiana driver's license or Louisiana special ID card
- at least 30 days prior to an election in which you seek to vote if registering in person or by mail. If mailing an application, the application or envelope must be postmarked 30 days prior to the first election in which you seek to vote.
Voter ID Requirements
To vote, you must present a valid photo ID.
Acceptable photo ID includes:
- A Louisiana driver's license
- A Louisiana special ID card (you can get one for free at the Office of Motor Vehicles by showing your voter information card).
- A Louisiana Wallet digital driver's license
- Any other generally recognized picture ID card that contains your name and signature
If you do not have any form of ID, you can still vote by signature on a voter affidavit.
Voter Registration Formats
Registering to vote or changing your registration is easy using the GeauxVote Online Registration System.
For security reasons, this application will time out if you remain idle for more than five minutes. All data will be cleared, and you will have to start the application over from the beginning.
Once you have completed the application, you will be allowed to either print and mail your application, or if verified by the Office of Motor Vehicles, submit your application electronically. If you plan to submit electronically, you must have your Louisiana driver's license or Louisiana special ID card in hand when you begin the process. 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.
Apply in person to register to vote at any Registrar of Voters Office.
You may also register in person at any of the following locations:
- 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.
If registering in person at a parish Registrar of Voters 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.
Apply by mail by downloading the Louisiana Voter Registration Application, completing it and mailing it to your local Registrar of Voters Office. Please note that the list of offices for registrars of voters is also included on the form.
You may also register by using a National Mail Voter Registration Form.
Voting Methods
In Louisiana, you must have a reason to be eligible to absentee vote, unless you are a military or overseas voter. To learn more about the specific reasons to qualify for Absentee voting, click the link HERE. You can submit an application requesting an absentee ballot through the online Louisiana Voter Portal system, or you may print and mail an application directly to your registrar of voters.
Click HERE for the online application link. Once you click the link, complete the following steps:
- Click the "Search By Voter" button.
- Type in your First Name, Last Name, Zip Code and Birth Month and Year and then click the "Submit" button;
- Click the "Request Absentee Ballot" link found under the Quick Links heading; and
- Complete requested information and submit.
One of the general application qualifications for Absentee Voting is Higher Education. If you are a student, instructor or professor located and living outside of your parish of registration, or the spouse/dependent thereof, you may apply through a General Application and, once accepted by the registrar of voters, absentee vote.
You do not need a reason to vote early! All voters may vote early, just like they are voting on election day. Voters who want to vote early for any election may do so in person at designated locations in the their parish from 14 to seven days prior to any scheduled election. When one or more state holidays fall within an early voting period, the first day for early voting will begin 15 days prior to the election.
For presidential elections, the early voting period is from 18 to seven days before the election (except Sundays and legal holidays). When one or more state holidays fall within that early voting period, the first day for early voting will begin 19 days prior to the election.
Refer to the schedule below for early voting time periods for upcoming elections and refer to the schedule of elections for future time periods.
For a detailed list of early voting locations in your parish, login to the voter portal. For a complete list of early voting locations for the entire state, please refer to early voting locations.
The registrars of voters will open their offices from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for each day of early voting. When you go to cast your vote early, you will be asked to identify yourself with either a photo ID or signature on a voter affidavit. You may use a Louisiana driver’s license, a Louisiana special identification card, a United States military identification card that contains your name and picture or other generally recognized picture identification card that has your name and signature. You may wish to contact your local Registrar of Voters Office for specific locations, dates and times.
See La. R.S. 18:1303 for more information about voting early.
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 your 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 your name and 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 through the "Search by Voter" option. Click the "Print Voter Registration Card" link located in the second column of the Quick Links.
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!
Provisional voting provides a fail-safe procedure for voting in federal elections when any person appears to vote and is not listed as an eligible voter. You must certify in writing on the ballot that you are a registered voter in the parish and are eligible to vote in the election for federal office before voting.
Provisional voting is not convenience voting, whereby you may appear anywhere in the state and vote and have your vote count.
You must be a registered voter in the parish where you vote and eligible to vote in the election for federal office for the provisional ballot to be counted. Therefore, it is recommended that you vote in the precinct and parish where you are registered to vote.
Any voter who casts a provisional ballot in an election, within the past 27 months, can check if it was counted by accessing the provisional voter search. Voters should wait at least seven days after an election to determine the status of their provisional ballot. For prior federal election or if you cannot find your name in the provisional voter search, contact the Louisiana Secretary of State's Elections Division at 800.883.2805. When calling, please have available the provisional ballot number provided at the polling place.