Voter Registration Deadlines
Louisiana statutes require you to be registered 30 days prior to an election to be eligible to vote in that particular election. You can register in person at your parish Registrar of Voters office, or you can submit an application by mail to your Registrar of Voters office. If you are seeking services at a mandated registration site, voter registration may be offered to you. For example, a person can register to vote when renewing a driver's license. Mandated sites include:

• 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.

Early Voting
Voters who want to vote early for any election may do so in person at local Registrar of Voters offices from 14 days to seven days prior to any scheduled election from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Voting Hours Are From 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Louisiana's elections laws provide for voting on election day at designated polling places from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A Reminder to Voters - Take Picture ID to Polls
When you go to the polls to cast your vote in an election, be sure to take a driver's license, a Louisiana Special ID, or some other generally recognized picture ID. Voters who have no picture ID and bring only a utility bill, payroll check or government document that includes their name and address will have to sign an affidavit furnished by the Elections Division in order to vote. Should any problems or questions arise, the principal office of the Registrar of Voters in each parish will be open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. on election day.

Handicapped Access Information
This information is provided as a guide for the election officials who are directly involved in the Special Program for Physically Handicapped Voters, for the individuals who wish to participate in the program, and for any other individual who may have an interest in the law. The special program was established by Acts 500 of 1983 to enable certain physically handicapped voters the opportunity to participate in the electoral process. It will enable these voters to vote absentee by mail or in person at nursing homes if they meet the requirements set forth in the Louisiana Election Code.

Voting Rights Seminars for Individuals with Disabilities and the Elderly to be held before the 2008 fall elections. Click here for more information.

Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA)

On October 29, 2002, President Bush signed into law the "Help America Vote Act of 2002," (HAVA), Pub. L. No. 107-252, 116 Stat. 1666 (2002), 42 U.S.C. 15301 to 15545. The legislation aims to improve the administration of elections in the United States, primarily through three means:

• creating a new federal agency to serve as a clearinghouse for election administration information
• providing funds to states to improve election administration and replace outdated voting systems
• creating minimum standards for states to follow in several key areas of election administration

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA)

This federal law was passed by Congress in 1993. The Commissioner of Elections was designated the chief election official to be responsible for the coordination of the state's duties under the NVRA, working closely with the Louisiana Legislature to comply with the federal mandate and to have Act 10 of the Third Extraordinary Session of 1994 adopted, maintaining a single voter registration system for Louisiana elections. The main intent of Act 10 was to encourage voter registration by providing new and innovative ways to register to vote. The Act mandated three new intake programs: mail, motor voter, and agency-based registration. These programs not only bring new voters into the election process, but they also bring new people to the task of registration administration.