Louisiana voting guide

Key Dates

• Mon., Oct. 5 Last day to register in person, by mail (postmarked), or at the OMV
• Tues., Oct. 13 Last day to register online (GeauxVote)
• Tues., Oct. 20 Early voting begins (8:30 a.m.–6 p.m.)
• Tues., Oct. 27 Early voting ends (no early voting Sunday, Oct. 25)
• Fri., Oct. 30 Last day to request a mail ballot (received by 4:30 p.m.)
• Mon., Nov. 2 Mail ballots must be received by registrar by 4:30 p.m.; last day to fix (cure) a ballot envelope problem
• Tues., Nov. 3 Election Day (polls open 6 a.m.–8 p.m.)
• Thurs., Nov. 12 Last day to register in person/by mail for Dec. 12 runoff
• Sat., Nov. 21 Last day to register online for Dec. 12 runoff
• Sat., Nov. 28 Early voting for Dec. 12 runoff begins (no voting Sunday, Nov. 29)
• Sat., Dec. 5 Early voting for Dec. 12 runoff ends
• Tues., Dec. 8 Last day to request a mail ballot for Dec. 12 runoff (4:30 p.m.)
• Fri., Dec. 11 Mail ballots for Dec. 12 runoff due to registrar by 4:30 p.m.
• Sat., Dec. 12 Runoff election day for U.S. House and local races with no majority winner (polls 7 a.m.–8 p.m.)

Your Voting Checklist

• Vote early in person from Tues., Oct. 20 to Tues., Oct. 27.
• Vote by mail. You can vote by mail if you are:
  • 65 years or older
  • Have a disability
  • Homebound and can't vote without help
  • Out of your parish during early voting and Election Day
  • Work offshore
  • Student or teacher living outside your parish
  • Clergy member living outside your parish
  • Moved 100+ miles away after the sign-up deadline
  • In the hospital
  • In jail but not for a felony
  • Held in a treatment center outside your parish
  • Juror kept away on Election Day
  • In the Address Confidentiality Program
  • Military or overseas voter
  
  Request a ballot by Fri., Oct. 30. Request a mail ballot
  Return it by Mon., Nov. 2.
  Problem with your ballot? Go to your parish registrar of voters by the day before Election Day, or ask for a new ballot. Track your ballot
• Vote on Election Day, Tues., Nov. 3, 6 a.m.–8 p.m. local time. Find your polling place
• Bring the right ID. You need a photo ID with your name and signature to vote in person.
  • Louisiana driver's license
  • LA Wallet digital driver's license
  • Louisiana Special ID
  • U.S. military ID with your name and photo
  • Other common photo ID with your name and signature
  No ID? You can still vote by signing a voter affidavit at the polls. See the official ID rules
• Review your sample ballot before you go.
• Have a past conviction?
  • You can't vote while you are in prison for a felony.
  • On probation or parole? You can vote if you have not been locked up for that sentence in the last five years.
  • If your voter record was put on hold, bring your release papers to your parish registrar of voters.
• Make a plan and bring three people. Make a plan

What’s on Your Ballot

These are the biggest races in Louisiana this year. Please note, we do not endorse any candidates.

Ballot measures

• Amendment 1: Property tax exemption transfer for surviving spouses of disabled veterans. Lets the surviving spouse of a veteran with a service-connected disability move their extra property tax exemption one time to a new home.
  Yes means the surviving spouse can transfer the exemption once to a new qualifying home, capped at the prior year's amount.
  No means the exemption stays tied to the original home.
• Amendment 2: Local property tax millage rates. Lets a local taxing body keep charging a lower tax rate without losing the right to go back up to the maximum rate allowed after an earlier reassessment.
  Yes means local governments can levy a lower rate now and still keep the option to return to the higher maximum later.
  No means current rules on resetting maximum millage rates stay the same.
• Amendment 3: No post-conviction bail for certain crimes against children. Bans bail after conviction for a person convicted of an aggravated offense against a minor child.
  Yes means people convicted of these offenses cannot be released on bail while they appeal.
  No means judges keep current authority to decide post-conviction bail in these cases.
• Amendment 4: Lifetime term limit for governor. Bars anyone who has served more than one and a half terms as governor from being elected governor again, ever.
  Yes means governors are limited to two terms in a lifetime, not just two terms in a row.
  No means A former two-term governor could run again after sitting out a term.
• Amendment 5: State retirement system debt payments. Lets state retirement systems apply one-time state money to any of their unfunded debt, not only the oldest debt first.
  Yes means retirement systems can choose which unfunded debts to pay down with one-time money.
  No means one-time money must still go to the oldest unfunded debt first.
• Amendment 6: Extra property tax exemption for seniors. Lets parishes and cities give an extra property tax break to homeowners 65 and older who qualify for the special assessment level (a value freeze).
  Yes means local governments may offer an added exemption to qualifying seniors, starting in 2028.
  No means no new local option for an extra senior exemption.
• Amendment 7: Public money to replace lead water service lines. Allows local governments to use public money to find, inventory, remove, or replace drinking water service lines on customers' property that are covered by EPA lead and copper rules.
  Yes means local governments can spend public funds on lead service line work on private property.
  No means current limits on using public funds on private property stay in place.
• Amendment 8: No property seizures by foreign adversaries. Bans a foreign adversary, or its agent, from taking property through expropriation (eminent domain).
  Yes means foreign adversaries and their agents cannot use expropriation to take property in Louisiana.
  No means the constitution does not add this specific ban.
• Amendment 9: Higher income limit for property value freeze. Raises the income limit to qualify for the special assessment level, which freezes the assessed value of a homestead for certain owners (such as seniors and people with disabilities).
  Yes means more homeowners with somewhat higher incomes could qualify for the value freeze, starting in 2027.
  No means the current income limit stays the same.
• Amendment 10: Tax breaks for fixed-up blighted property. Allows property tax exemptions for blighted or run-down properties that have been rehabilitated, with rules set by the Legislature.
  Yes means owners who restore blighted properties could get a property tax exemption, starting in 2027.
  No means no new exemption for rehabilitated blighted property.

Protect the Vote

• Apply to be a poll worker and support free and fair elections.
• Watch the count. Take a training to learn how to observe the polls.
• If anyone tries to stop you from voting or something at your polling place seems wrong:
  • Call 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)
  • Call 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682) en español
  • Call 888-API-VOTE (888-274-8683) Asian languages
  • Call 844-YALLA-US (844-925-5287) Arabic
  • If you’re in line when polls close, stay in line. You can still vote.
  • If your name isn’t on the list, ask for a provisional ballot.
  • Know your rights

Organizations to Support

• Power Coalition for Equity and Justice. Nonpartisan 501(c)(3) coalition doing voter registration, education, and get-out-the-vote across Louisiana, centered on communities of color.
• Voice of the Experienced (VOTE). Group founded and run by formerly incarcerated people; helps people with convictions restore their rights and register to vote.
• Black Voters Matter Fund. Black-led group building voter power in Southern states, including Louisiana, through registration and turnout work.