VOTER REGISTRATION INFORMATION and PROCEDURES
How do I register to vote?
Apply online to register to vote or make changes to your registration by clicking here.
Apply in person to register to vote at any Registrar of Voters' Office or at any of the following sites:
- Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles;
- Louisiana Department of Social Services offices and WIC offices, Food Stamp offices and Medicaid offices;
- offices serving persons with disabilities such as the Deaf Action Centers and Independent Living offices; and
- Armed Forces recruitment offices.
Apply by mail by downloading the Louisiana Voter Registration Application form, completing it and returning it to your local Registrar of Voters' Office. Please note that the list of offices for registrars is included on the form. You may also get the mailing address from this list of Registrar of Voters' Offices.
Faxed Voter Registration forms are not accepted. The voter registration form should be addressed and mailed or hand-delivered to the appropriate registrar of voters in the parish in which you are registering. DO NOT mail or otherwise send voter registration forms to the Secretary of State Elections Division. Deadlines requiring receipt in the Registrar of Voters' Office may be missed. You are to be registered 30 days prior to an election to be eligible to vote in that particular election.
You must re-register when you move to a new parish.
To qualify to register you must:
- be a U.S. citizen;
- be at least 17 years old, but must be 18 years old prior to next election to vote;
- not be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony;
- not be under a judgment of full interdiction for mental incompetence or partial interdiction with suspension of voting rights; and
- reside in the state and parish in which you seek to register.
Where do I vote?
Use the Louisiana Voter Portal to find where you vote on election day, or call your parish Registrar of Voters' Office. Your voter identification card received by mail lists your polling place. Please pay special attention to make sure you go to the correct polling place.
Does it cost to register?
No. Registering to vote is a right afforded to you as a United States citizen by the Constitution of the United States.
Do I have to be a resident of the state to register?
Yes. You must qualify to register with a residence address in the parish with a street or rural route address. Post office box addresses and mail center boxes do not qualify. We must know where you live so you are assigned to the proper voting precinct for election day. Displaced voters: If you were involuntarily displaced to a new parish or state due to a declared emergency, but want to remain registered to vote at your pre-emergency address, you may remain registered there if you have NOT changed your registration address or filed a homestead exemption on a different residence. You should provide a "mailing address," if different from your pre-emergency residence address, to your registrar of voters to remain an active voter. Also, please see the next question regarding homestead exemptions.
If I have more than one address, can I choose which address to use for registering?
Yes, unless you claim a homestead exemption. You must register to vote using your homestead exemption address; however, if you do not claim homestead exemption and reside at more than one place in the state with an intention to reside there indefinitely, you may register only at one of the places at which you reside. There is an exception in the law, however, for a person who resides in a nursing home or in a veterans' home. They may register and vote at the address where the nursing home or veterans' home is located, even though they have a homestead exemption on their residence.
What do I do if my residence address, mailing address or name has changed after I have registered to vote?
If you have moved INSIDE your parish, you should notify the Registrar of Voters' Office in your parish of any changes to your registration or make changes online.
If you have moved OUTSIDE your parish, you are no longer eligible to remain registered in that parish. You must register in your new parish. Displaced voters: If you were involuntarily displaced to a new parish or state due to a declared emergency, but want to remain registered to vote at your pre-emergency address, you may remain registered there if you have NOT changed your registraton address or filed a homestead exemption on a different residence. You should provide a "mailing address," if different from your pre-emergency residence address, to your registrar of voters or online to remain an active voter. Also, please see the question above regarding homestead exemptions if you have more than one address.
A change of name can be made by producing, in the presence of the registrar of voters, an affidavit stating the name under which the person desires to be registered. A person who changes their name by virtue of a judgment of court shall file with the registrar of voters a certified copy of the judgment or affidavit.
What do I need to bring to register to vote?
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.
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. Louisiana mails a verification mailing card to verify the address you have provided when registering by mail.
Why is the residence address so important?
Your elected representatives are determined by your residence address. In order for you to vote on the correct ballot for an election, your registration must have your residence address.
Do I have to register prior to each election?
No. Once you are registered in your parish, you will remain registered as an active voter. If you move and your residence address is not able to be verified through the U.S. Postal Service during the annual canvass or you do not return the address confirmation card, you will be placed on inactive status. You can activate your status by verifying your residence address online with a change of address or in person either on election day before voting or at the Registrar of Voters' Office by completion of an address confirmation card. If you do not verify your address and do not vote in two federal general elections, you may be canceled. You may also be suspended or canceled if you lose your civil rights or register to vote in another state. See information below to reinstate your registration if suspended for conviction of a felony.
How do I reinstate my registration after a felony conviction?
You must submit documentation to the registrar of voters in your parish showing that you are no longer under an order of imprisonment or that you have been pardoned. You must submit the documentation in person or you may submit by mail if you qualify under the physically handicapped program, by showing proof of your disability. Proof of disability includes either a current mobility-impaired identification card, certificate of a medical doctor or optometrist certifying to the disability, current documentation showing eligiblity for social security disability benefits, veteran's disability benefits, paratransit services, the office for citizens with developmental disabilities or benefits from Louisiana Rehabilitation Services.
If I move from another parish in Louisiana, do I have to register again?
Yes. Voter registration is not transferable. You must register every time you move to a new parish in Louisiana. You will be canceled in your old parish and you will not be allowed to vote in your new parish unless and until you complete another voter registration application. You can register online, in person or by mail.
If I move out of state, do I have to cancel my Louisiana registration?
Yes, in order to register in your new state. You may not be registered in more than one state. You must send your Louisiana parish registrar a letter requesting to have your voter registration canceled.
How do I become a Louisiana resident?
While this question sounds complicated, it is really very simple. If you live in Louisiana and intend for this to be your legal residence, you are a Louisiana resident.
My children are going off to college. Where should they be registered to vote?
Students may use their home residence address within the state or their school address for voter registration purposes. Out of state students are allowed to use their school address in Louisiana if they want to be a voter in this state. If they register to vote by mail, they may vote absentee by mail by including a copy of their fee bill or student identification card with their application to vote absentee by mail.
What are the recognized political parties in the State of Louisiana?
Louisiana has five recognized political parties: Democratic, Green, Libertarian, Reform and Republican. The Green, Libertarian and Reform parties have fulfilled all the requirements in R.S. 18:441 and are now recognized political parties.
Your party affiliation can be changed by simply sending your registrar of voters a written note requesting your party change (including signature), or by completing another voter registration application. You may make changes online. All changes made 30 days prior to an election are effective for that electionl; otherwise the change cannot become effective until the next election.
How do I get another voter information card?
You should contact your parish Registrar of Voters' Office to request a new one.
What do I need to bring when I go to the polls to vote?
You will be asked for a picture identification card to vote at the polling place. This can include a Louisiana driver's license, a Louisiana special ID card or other generally recognized picture identification card with your name and signature. If you do not have a picture ID, you will be asked identifying questions by the poll worker and asked to sign an identification affidavit before voting. You may obtain a free Louisiana special ID card at the Officie of Motor Vehicles by presenting your voter information card.
When must I register to vote before an election?
Louisiana statutes require you to be registered 30 days prior to an election to be eligible to vote in that particular election. |