Louisiana Election Center

• In Person: 30 days before Election Day.
• By Mail: Received 30 days before Election Day. If that day is a Sunday, then the deadline is 29 days before Election Day.
• Online: 30 days before Election Day.

To register in Louisiana you must:

• be a citizen of the United States
• be a resident of Louisiana (Residence address must be address where you claim homestead exemption, if any, except for a resident in a nursing home or veteran’s home who may select to use the address of the nursing home or veterans’ home or the home where he has a homestead exemption. A college student may elect to use his home address or his address while away at school.)
• be at least 17 years old, and be 18 years old prior to the next election to vote
• not currently be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony
• not currently be under a judgment of interdiction for mental incompetence

1. Use our Register to Vote Tool to fill out the National Voter Registration Form.
2. Sign and date your form. This is very important!
3. Mail or hand-deliver your completed form to the address we provide.
4. Make sure you register before the voter registration deadline.

Absentee ballot application deadline:

Received no later than 4:30pm on the 4th day before Election Day (most voters).
Received by 8pm on the day before Election Day (if hospitalized).

Voted ballots are due:

Received no later than 4:30pm on the day before Election Day (most voters).
Received by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day (hospitalized voters).

You may vote by absentee ballot in Louisiana if:

• you are a student or teacher located and living outside of your parish of registration, or the spouse/dependent thereof;
• you are a minister, priest, rabbi, or other member of the clergy assigned outside of your parish of registration, or the spouse/dependent thereof;
• you are or expect to be temporarily outside the territorial limits of the state or absent from your parish of registration during the early voting period and on Election Day (view early voting dates);
• you moved your residence to another parish more than 100 miles from the parish seat of your former residence after the voter registration books closed (the books close 30 days prior to Election Day);
• you are involuntarily confined in an institution for mental treatment outside your parish of registration and you are not interdicted and not judicially declared incompetent;
• you expect to be hospitalized on Election Day and did not have knowledge until after the time for early voting had expired; or you were hospitalized during the time for early voting and you expect to be hospitalized on Election Day; or you were either hospitalized or restricted to bed by your physician during early voting and on Election Day (view early voting dates);
• you expect to be out of your precinct of registration and upon the waters of the state both during the early voting period and on Election Day because of your employment or occupation (view early voting dates);
• you are incarcerated in an institution inside or outside of your parish of registration and you are not serving time for a felony conviction;
• you are a program participant in the Department of State’s Address Confidentiality Program; or
• you will be sequestered on the day of Election Day.

1. Use our Absentee Ballot Tool to prepare your application.
2. Sign and date the form. This is very important!
3. Return your completed application to your Local Election Official as soon as possible. We’ll provide the mailing address for you.
4. All Local Election Officials will accept mailed or hand-delivered forms. If it’s close to the deadline, call and see if your Local Election Official will let you fax or email the application.
5. Make sure your application is received by the deadline. Your application must actually arrive by this time — simply being postmarked by the deadline is insufficient.
6. Please contact your Local Election Official if you have any further questions about the exact process.

• Once you receive the ballot, carefully read and follow the instructions.
• Sign and date where indicated.
• Mail your voted ballot back to the address indicated on the return envelope.
• Your voted ballot must arrive by the deadline or it will not be counted.

Early voting starts 14 days before Election Day.

Early voting ends 7 days before Election Day.

Absentee voters do not need to provide ID.