VOTE!!!!!

VOTER REGISTRATION

INFORMATION and PROCEDURES

• Register to Vote Online or make changes to your registration
• Registration Information and Application Form
• Registrar of Voters Locations
• Louisiana Voter Portal

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 any of the following sites:

• Louisiana Department of Motor Vehicle offices
• 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
• Armed Forces Recruitment offices

VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVE GOING ON NOW AT

Ashé Cultural Arts Center, 1712 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in New Orleans until October 4, 2012. Call (504) 569-9070.

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 Registrar Offices 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 office - deadlines requiring receipt in the registrar's 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 United States 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 judgement 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

Where do I go 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 identification card received by mail lists your polling place. Please pay special attention to make sure you go to the correct polling place.

How much does it cost to register?

Nothing. 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 from your place of residence by the effects of a gubernatorially declared state of emergency, you may remain registered to vote at your pre-emergency residence address as long as you do NOT register to vote in another parish or state or establish a new domicile. 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 tho 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 on line.

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 from your place of residence by the effects of a gubernatorially declared state of emergency, you may remain registered to vote at your pre-emergency residence address as long as you do NOT register to vote in another parish or state or establish a new domicile. 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 question above regarding homestead exemptions if you have more than one address.

What do I need to bring with me 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 may submit your current Louisiana driver's license, 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. 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 unless you move from this parish, lose your civil rights, or register to vote in another state.

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.

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 (5) 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 on line. All changes made 30 days prior to an election are effective for that election, otherwise the change cannot become effective until the next election.

How do I get another voter ID card?

You should contact your parish Registrar of Voters Office to request a new one.

What do I need to bring with me 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.

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.