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 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.
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?
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.
