Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in Louisiana
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for Louisiana, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the Louisiana Secretary of State or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 7.
Key dates
- Register online by
Tuesday, October 13
Through the GeauxVote online registration system. Louisiana Secretary of State 2026 elections calendar (revised 07/2026).
- Register by mail by
Monday, October 5
Whether postmark or receipt controls was not confirmed. Louisiana Secretary of State 2026 elections calendar (revised 07/2026).
- Register in person by
Monday, October 5
At the parish registrar of voters. Louisiana Secretary of State 2026 elections calendar (revised 07/2026).
- Same-day registration
No
Louisiana Secretary of State 2026 elections calendar (revised 07/2026).
- Early voting
Tuesday, October 20 to Tuesday, October 27
Louisiana Secretary of State 2026 elections calendar (revised 07/2026).
- How early voting works
Any voter may vote early at a designated site in their parish. Early voting locations are on the Voter Portal.
- Request a mail ballot by
Friday, October 30
By 4:30 p.m. Central on the 4th day before the election; military, overseas and hospitalized voters may request until 4:30 p.m. the day before. Louisiana Secretary of State 2026 elections calendar (revised 07/2026).
- Return your mail ballot by
Monday, November 2
Received, not postmarked: by the parish registrar of voters by 4:30 p.m. Central the day before Election Day. Military, overseas and hospitalized voters' ballots are due by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Louisiana Secretary of State 2026 elections calendar (revised 07/2026).
- Election Day polling hours
6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Central time. Voters in line at 8 p.m. may vote.
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
You need a reason to vote by mail
Accepted reasons include: age 65 or older; disability; temporarily out of parish or state during early voting and Election Day; offshore work; students and faculty living out of parish; clergy; hospitalization; military and overseas voters; some incarcerated voters not convicted of a felony. Voters 65+ and voters with disabilities can opt in to receive ballots automatically for four years.
- Drop boxes
No
La. R.S. 18:1308(B): a voted absentee-by-mail ballot is returned by U.S. mail, commercial courier or hand delivery, and hand delivery must be made to the registrar or a registrar employee at the registrar's principal office, branch office, or an early voting location. No drop boxes are authorized.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Ballots must be received by 4:30 p.m. the day before Election Day; only military, overseas and hospitalized voters have until 8 p.m. Election Day.
ID at the polls
- The rule
Photo ID requested
Voters are asked for a photo ID; a voter without one may vote by signing an affidavit after correctly answering identifying information.
- What to bring
Bring a Louisiana driver's license or special ID card, a U.S. military ID with name and photo, or another generally recognized picture ID with your name and signature. Without one, you can vote by affidavit. A free Louisiana special ID card is available at the Office of Motor Vehicles.
When will we know results in Louisiana?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
8 p.m. Central time — 9 p.m. Eastern
Central time; the whole state is in one time zone.
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Monday, November 2
Parishes may prepare and verify absentee-by-mail and early voting ballots the day before the election (R.S. 18:1313.1).
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Tuesday, November 3
Counting happens on Election Day at a time set by the parish board of election supervisors, no later than 8 p.m.; no results may leave the counting site before polls close (R.S. 18:1313.1).
- Counties finish their count by
Sunday, November 8
Computed from La. R.S. 18:574(A)(3): the parish board of election supervisors files its compiled statement with the clerk of court no later than 4:00 p.m. on the fifth day after the election; the clerk transmits returns to the Secretary of State by noon on the sixth day (November 9). November 8 falls on a Sunday and the statute does not move it. Failure to meet these limits does not void the election.
- State certifies results
Tuesday, November 17
Computed from La. R.S. 18:574(D)-(E): the Secretary of State announces tentative results by noon on the seventh day after the election (November 10) and promulgates the official returns for state candidates and constitutional amendments on or before the fourteenth day (November 17), if no contest has been filed.
- Automatic recount
None
No automatic recount.
- Requested recount
Only absentee-by-mail and early voting ballots can be recounted. A candidate may request one if those ballots could change the outcome; it is held on the fifth day after the election, and the candidate pays the costs up front, refunded if the outcome changes. Election Day machines can only be reinspected.
R.S. 18:1313.1. The filing deadline is 4:30 p.m. on a day the statute sets; it was not confirmed for this election.
- Runoff
Saturday, December 12
U.S. House seats are on an open (all-party) primary ballot on November 3; if no candidate wins a majority, the top two meet in an open general election on December 12. U.S. Senate party nominees were chosen in the spring closed party primaries, and the Senate race on November 3 is the general election. Runoff registration closes November 12 (in person/mail) and November 21 (online); early voting November 28–December 5. Louisiana Secretary of State 2026 elections calendar (revised 07/2026).
- Ranked-choice voting
Not used
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority. La. Const. art. XIII, § 1(C): an amendment is adopted if a majority of the electors voting on it approve. Amendments affecting five or fewer parishes or municipalities also need a majority in each affected one.
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Louisiana Secretary of State.