Early Voting

You do not need a reason to vote early! All voters may vote early, just like they are voting on election day. Voters who want to vote early for any election may do so in person at designated locations in the their parish from 14 to seven days prior to any scheduled election. When one or more state holidays fall within an early voting period, the first day for early voting will begin 15 days prior to the election.

For presidential elections, the early voting period is from 18 to seven days before the election (except Sundays and legal holidays). When one or more state holidays fall within that early voting period, the first day for early voting will begin 19 days prior to the election.

Refer to the schedule below for early voting time periods for upcoming elections and refer to the schedule of elections for future time periods.

For a detailed list of early voting locations in your parish, login to the voter portal. For a complete list of early voting locations for the entire state, please refer to early voting locations.

The registrars of voters will open their offices from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for each day of early voting. When you go to cast your vote early, you will be asked to identify yourself with either a photo ID or signature on a voter affidavit. You may use a Louisiana driver’s license, a Louisiana special identification card, a United States military identification card that contains your name and picture or other generally recognized picture identification card that has your name and signature. You may wish to contact your local Registrar of Voters Office for specific locations, dates and times.

See La. R.S. 18:1303 for more information about voting early.

December 7, 2024

Congressional General Election

Early voting is November 22 through November 30 (excluding Sunday, November 24, Thursday, November 28, and Friday, November 29) from 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.

Assistance to Voters

A visibly disabled voter and the person assisting them in voting shall go to the front of the line when voting early at the Registrar of Voters Office or at designated locations for early voting.

A voter is entitled to receive assistance while voting if they are unable to read or unable to vote without assistance because of a physical disability, including being visually impaired. A voter may choose to use the audio ballot instead of receiving assistance.

A voter must either file a statement with the registrar in person or by mail before the election if they need assistance in voting or complete an affidavit and/or provide specific disability documentation to the registrar or commissioner during early voting. 

Acceptable disability documentation includes letters from a medical doctor, optometrist, physician assistant or nurse practitioner certifying to the disability, or a copy of current documentation showing eligibility for disability benefits from either social security, veteran's, paratransit services, Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities or benefits from Louisiana Rehabilitation Services. 

Any Election Day accessibility issues should be reported to the ADA Compliance Officer at ada@sos.la.gov or 225.362.5113.

Persons prohibited from assisting voters are as follows:

• candidate in the election cannot assist a voter;
• employer or employer's agent cannot assist an employee;
• union agent cannot assist a union member; and
• staff for a state residential facility cannot assist residents of their facility in voting.

Requirements of a Person Assisting a Voter

A voter who is entitled to assistance in voting may receive the assistance of any person of their choice including the registrar, a deputy registrar or an early voting commissioner, except those prohibited. 

Before a voter receives assistance during early voting, the registrar, deputy registrar or early voting commissioner must print the voter's name and the assistant's name (including a registrar, a deputy registrar or an early voting commissioner providing assistance) behind the tab for assistance to voters in the back of the precinct register and check the box if the voter is not marked on the statewide voter registration system as eligible for assistance in voting. Then the assistant (including a registrar, a deputy registrar or an early voting commissioner providing assistance) must sign their name next to their printed name before being allowed to assist the voter.

In the event that a paper ballot must be used during early voting, the person assisting the voter to vote a paper ballot must explain to the voter that a signature or mark made by the voter constitutes certification that all statements in the certificate are true and correct and that any person who knowingly provides false or incorrect statements is subject to a fine or imprisonment, or both.

The person assisting the voter to vote a paper ballot must sign the acknowledgment on the paper ballot envelope flap, verifying that the person providing the assistance has marked the ballot in the manner dictated by the voter.

If a voter is assigned to a polling place that is not accessible, the voter may cast their vote at the nearest polling place with the same ballot, or at the Registrar of Voters Office.

ImageCast X Voting Systems for Early Voting

For early voting beginning in the fall of 2019, all Louisiana voters will use the ImageCast^® X (or “ICX”) voting system leased from Dominion Voting Systems. Early voting is held 14 to seven days prior to any scheduled election at each Registrar of Voters Office or at designated locations in the parish.

For presidential elections, the early voting period is from 18 to seven days before the election (except Sundays and legal holidays).

On this small and easy to operate touchscreen system, the voter will scroll through their entire ballot to vote. The election results are easily printed and stored on a cartridge that is delivered to the Parish Board of Election Supervisors for tabulation on Election Day.

The ICX unit was designed as a voting solution for all and offers several options for voters with accessibility needs to vote in a private and independent manner. The ICX offers the following user interfaces:

• Visual mode: The voter navigates their ballot using one of the available accessibility tools and the visual display.
• Audio mode: The visual display can be disabled, and the voter uses headphones to navigate an audio ballot using one of the available accessibility tools.
• Visual and audio mode: The voter navigates their ballot using one of the available accessibility tools, the visual display and the audio ballot.

In addition to the touchscreen functionality, the ICX is compatible with a range of accessibility tools that voters can use to navigate through the ballot and make their selections. The system is compatible with accessibility devices such as the Audio Tactile Interface (ATI) handheld controller, a four-way joystick, a sip and puff device or a paddle device. The ATI has raised keys that are identifiable tactilely without activation (e.g., raised buttons of different shapes and colors, large or Braille numbers and letters), can be operated with one hand and includes a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The images below include what a voter selecting an accessible voting device will see on the machine and what the ATI looks like.