Louisiana Secretary of State Elections Division Index

La SoS Elections Division Homepage

Important Notes about File Types:

PDF Files: In order to view the PDF files on this page (such as the Displaced Voter Registration Forms and Affidavits listed below) you will need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available for download free-of-charge from Adobe International, installed on your computer.

Excel Spreadsheets: In order to view the Mail Ballots and Polling Place Excel spreadsheets on this page you will need to have Microsoft Office installed on your computer. If you do not have Microsoft Office you can download the Microsoft Excel Viewer, also free-of-charge and use it to view them instead.

NOTICES and IMPORTANT LINKS

Unofficial Voter Turnout statistics for May 5, 2007 election - click here
Gubernatorial Primary Election is October 20, 2007
Gubernatorial General Election is November 17, 2007

· The Qualifying Period is September 4-6, 2007. State candidates qualify with Secretary of State's office. (State candidates are the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, Commissioners of Agriculture and Insurance, and Members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education)

· All other candidates qualify at their parish Clerk of Court's office.

· Please click here for candidate information.

Registered Voter Statistics: Please click here to access voter registration statistics, either statewide or by parish.

Poll Locator: Please click the Polling Place Locator button above to open the louisiana voters poll locator.

To apply to be a poll worker in your parish please click here to link to the voter outreach page where you can download the application brochure.

MISSION and HISTORY

MISSION - The Department of State Elections Division administers all laws governing voter registration and elections; maintains the statewide voter registration system; schedules elections and qualifies candidates for elections; purchases and maintains absentee and election day voting equipment; prints and distributes absentee ballots and regular ballots for voting machines; pays for all election expenses; and compiles, reports and maintains official elections returns and statistics. Continue . . .

On Inauguration Day, January 12, 2004, the duties and functions formerly associated with the Commissioner of Elections and the Department of Elections and Registration were officially consolidated with the Secretary of State's office. Act 451 of the 2001 Regular Session of the Legislature paved the way for the consolidation and mandated that all voter registration and elections activities are again under the direction of the Secretary of State. This web site now contains the data from the Department of Elections and Registration. Commissioner of Elections is now an appointed position.

HISTORY - In Louisiana voting machines were first introduced in Orleans Parish in the early 40's. The machines were the invention of Ransom Shoup who was well known in political circles in Louisiana . They were called Shoup Voting achines. Read about the history of voting and elections in Louisiana beginning with Shoup, and about the former Department of Elections and Registrations. Continue . . .

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WHAT'S NEW AT THE ELECTIONS DIVISION

RECOGNITION OF POLITICAL PARTIES ACT 889 OF 2004

(12-30-04) - Act 889 of 2004 authorizes a political party to be recognized 90 days prior to the opening of the qualifying period for any election if:

There are at least 1,000 registered voters in the state registered as being affiliated with such party;
The political party has filed a notarized registration statement with the secretary of state; and
The political party has paid a registration fee of $1,000.00 to the secretary of state.

For more information about this new statute, visit the Political Party Registration page.

HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT OF 2002

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; and creating minimum standards for states to follow in several key areas of election administration. Learn more about this act and how it is being implemented in Louisiana .

VOTING INFORMATION FOR U. S. MILITARY PERSONNEL

defense seal The Secretary of State's office and the U. S. Department of Defense have teamed to provide U. S. military personnel with information about the elections schedules and absentee voting requirements. An informational recording at the Department of Defense Voting Information Center can be accessed by calling 1-800-438-8683 and then entering "52" -- the two number state code for Louisiana . The caller will then hear a recorded menu to select current elections information or hear recorded messages from candidates or their elected officials. Louisiana 's Chief Elections Officer provides information on upcoming elections, online sample ballots, and how to obtain an absentee ballot. The Center is part of the Federal Voting Assistance Program enabled by the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA).

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ELECTIONS NEWS and SCHEDULES

PDF version of the 2007 election schedule

Schedule of current and prior elections

READ FULL TEXTS OF AMENDMENTS AND PROPOSITIONS TO BE VOTED UPON

Full texts of constitutional amendments and propositions scheduled in an election can be read in our online directory when the data becomes available. Go to the Constitutional Amendments & Propositions Page for more information. Information from previous election is also available.

GET ELECTIONS RESULTS ONLINE

Polls close at 8 PM for all elections in Louisiana . Complete up-to-the-minute returns are available from our online Elections Returns Database as soon as they are transmitted electronically by local elections officials to our elections system in Baton Rouge . If you encounter a problem accessing the database page, turn off caching proxy, set your firewall to accept Port 8090 and domain name sos.louisiana.gov . See Help Page for more information.

ELECTORAL COLLEGE

Visit the U. S. National Archives and Records Administration / Federal Register web site to learn how the votes are cast by the Electoral College for Presidential Elections. View a list of all Louisiana electors in the November 2004 Presidential Election HERE.

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VOTING and REGISTRATION INFORMATION

QUICK REFERENCE LINKS - ELECTIONS INFORMATION FOR VOTERS

Go to the following links for information about . . .

Voter Registration Application Information.
List of Clerks of Court and Voter Registrars by Parish.
Schedule of Elections for Current, Future & Prior Years
Candidate Database - search candidate information
Where to Vote - search our database with your address to find your Ward and Precinct Number.
Sample Ballots are available online for the next election.
Constitutional Amendments & Propositions may be on the ballot for statewide elections. Summaries and complete texts are available.
Absentee and Early Voting Procedures
Voting Machine Types
Voter Fraud - report suspected voter fraud.

VOTER REGISTRATION DEADLINES

Geaux Vote Louisiana statutes require you to be registered 30 days prior to an election to be eligible to vote in that particular election. Registration can be made in person at local Registrar of Voters offices, or an application can be submitted via mail to a Registrar of Voters office. In addition, if you are seeking services at designated mandated sites, voter registration may be offered to you. For example, a person can register when renewing a driver's license. Call first to be sure. Here are the mandated 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; and Armed Forces Recruitment offices.

Visit the Voter Registration page for more information.

Sample ballots will be available online for all Louisiana elections.

Visit the Absentee Voting Page for complete information regarding the rules and regulations for absentee voting by mail and early voting.

GET SAMPLE BALLOTS ONLINE

The Precinct Ballot Database is a popular addition to our site and enables voters anywhere in the state to view and print individual precinct level ballots for elections. In order to use the The Precinct Ballot Database a voter must know the local ward and precinct number to enter which can be found on Voter Registration cards or by using our Polling Place Locator (by clicking the button below).

For post election vote totals, the Elections Results Database provides up-to-the-minute returns soon after the polls close. See Help Page for more information.

VOTING HOURS ARE FROM 6 AM TO 8 PM FOR LOUISIANA ELECTIONS

Louisiana 's elections laws provide for in-person voting on election day to take place at the designated polling places from 6 AM to 8 PM.

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 AM until 9 PM on election day.

PROVISIONAL VOTING - FEDERAL ELECTIONS ONLY
(U.S. Senate, U.S. Representative, Presidential Preference Pimary)

On October 29, 2002, the "Help America Vote Act of 2002," (HAVA), Pub. L. No. 107-252, 116 Stat. 1666 (2002), 42 U.S.C. 15301 was signed into law. The legislation aims to improve the administration of elections in the United States , and part of the law deals with "provisional voting." Louisiana is in compliance with the provisional voting requirements of HAVA and legislation was passed in the 2003 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature to provide for provisional voting. Act 423 of 2003 Regular Legislative Session implements provisional voting in Louisiana only in elections for federal office.

IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU VOTE IN THE PRECINCT AND PARISH WHERE YOU ARE REGISTERED TO VOTE. A PERSON MUST BE A REGISTERED VOTER IN THE PARISH WHERE HE VOTES AND ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THE ELECTION FOR FEDERAL OFFICE FOR HIS PROVISIONAL BALLOT TO BE COUNTED.

If you are in the parish where you are registered to vote and you are voting at the wrong precinct, you may vote a paper provisional ballot for federal offices only. You will not be permitted to vote on the state, local, or municipal offices; propositions; or constitutional amendments.

If you are in a precinct that is not in the parish where you are registered to vote, you may vote a paper provisional ballot for federal offices only. You will not be permitted to vote on the state, local, or municipal offices; propositions; or constitutional amendments.

If you are not registered to vote in Louisiana, and you enter a precinct to vote, you may vote a paper provisional ballot for federal offices only. You will not be permitted to vote on the state, local, or municipal offices; propositions; or constitutional amendments.

If you have the designation "MAIL 1ST TIME FEDERAL ELECTION" by your name in the precinct register, you will be required to cast a paper provisional ballot for federal offices only if you do not present to the commissioner a current and valid photo identification or a copy of a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address. If you are required to vote a paper provisional ballot for federal offices only, you will be required to sign a voter identification affidavit and you will be permitted to vote on the voting machine on the state, local, or municipal offices; propositions; or constitutional amendments.

IF YOU CAST A PAPER PROVISIONAL BALLOT FOR FEDERAL OFFICES ONLY, YOUR PROVISIONAL BALLOT MAY OR MAY NOT BE COUNTED.

A PERSON MUST BE A REGISTERED VOTER IN THE PARISH WHERE HE VOTES AND ELIGIBLE TO VOTE IN THE ELECTION FOR FEDERAL OFFICE FOR HIS PROVISIONAL BALLOT TO BE COUNTED.

Any voter who casts a provisional ballot in a recent election and wants to know if it was counted should c the Secretary of State Elections Division at 1-800-883-2805. Voters should wait at least seven days after an election to call, and should be prepared with their provisional ballot number.

Recent statistics for provisional votes counted are available on the Statistics Page. See Voter Turnout Section..

DISABILITY ACCESS INFORMATION

Disability 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 1983, No. 500, 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 Chapter 7A of the Louisiana Election Code.

THE NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION ACT (NVRA)

The National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) The act 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.

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ELECTIONS RETURNS AND STATISTICS

QUICK REFERENCE LINKS - ELECTIONS INFORMATION FOR VOTERS

Go to the After An Election Page for . . .

Schedule of Elections for Current, Future & Prior Years
Results Database - has results for current and previous elections.
Archived Elections Results
Statewide Elected Officials Database
Elected Officials ZIP File
Post Elections Statistics
Commissions
Electoral College
Voter Fraud - report suspected voter fraud.

GET CURRENT ELECTIONS RESULTS ONLINE

Election Night Results Maps at the GCR & Associates, Inc. site are frequently updated and show who is leading in statewide races, with results available by parish, down to the precinct level.

GET PREVIOUS "ARCHIVED" ELECTIONS RESULTS ONLINE

The same online Elections Returns Database can be used to access archived results for previous elections going back as far as 1986. Select the date from the drop down menu or use the "Archived" button at the bottom of the database page for more options.

ZIP files of previous elections are also available. See After An Election .

STATISTICS

Visit the Statistics Page for detailed information about the following reports.

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INFORMATION FOR AND ABOUT CANDIDATES

QUALIFYING DATES AND INFORMATION

Qualifying for Gubernatorial Primary Election scheduled October 20, 2007 includes the following offices:

· Governor

· Lieutenant Governor

· Secretary of State

· Attorney General

· Treasurer

· Commissioner of Agriculture

· Commissioner of Insurance

· Member of State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Candidates for the above-captioned offices will qualify with the Secretary of State beginning on:

September 4, 2007 from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
September 5, 2007 from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
September 6, 2007 from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Please note that qualifying will take place at the Secretary of State Executive Offices located in the Broadwing Building, 8549 United Plaza Blvd., Baton Rouge, directly behind the Archives Building on Essen Lane .

Candidates for all other offices qualify with their local Clerk of Court.

Candidates must pay their qualifying fees with a certified or cashier's check or money order issued by a state or national bank or credit union, a U. S. Postal money order or cash. Uncertified personal checks and checks drawn on a campaign account will not be accepted.

QUALIFYING

CANDIDATE INFORMATION

Candidate Database - search candidate information
ZIP File of All Candidates - includes name, address, party affiliation data.
In order to qualify, a candidate must file a candidate qualifying form and either pay a qualifying fee or file a nominating petition. An agent of a candidate may file the candidate's qualifying form by also filing an agent affidavit form.
Payment may be by cash, certified or cashier's check on a state or national bank or credit union, U. S. Postal money order, or a money order issued by a state or national bank or credit union.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTS, LOBBYISTS AND POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEES

Campaign Finance Reports - including reports from incumbent statewide elected officials are available for on-line viewing at The Louisiana Ethics Administration Program. In addition, lists of registered lobbyists and political action committees are available.
Federal Elections Commission Web Site - has copies of actual financial disclosure reports filed by House, Senate and Presidential campaigns, Parties and PACs from 1993 to the present.

POLITICAL PARTY REGISTRATION

The Recognition of Political Parties Act 889 of 2004, effective January 1, 2005, authorizes a political party to be recognized 90 days prior to the opening of the qualifying period for any election under certain circumstances.

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HAVA - THE HELP AMERICA VOTE ACT OF 2002

ABOUT THE NEW LAW

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

Visit the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA) Page for complete information concerning the implementation of this law.

OTHER INFORMATION

Constitutional Amendments & Propositions Text Files
Database Index - includes a list of all Elections related databases.
Public Notices

ELECTION LINKS

Visit the web sites in the Elections Links Section for information concerning citizenship, government, voting, elections, political parties, and other elections-related topics.

The Elections Division of the Louisiana Secretary of State moved to new offices in December 2003 located behind the Louisiana State Archives at 3851 Essen Lane . The new location at 8549 United Plaza Boulevard , Baton Rouge, LA 70809 provides easy access for the public with ample off street parking. Click here for a map

Louisiana Secretary of State
Elections Division
P. O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9125
Telephone: (225) 922-0900
Toll Free: 1-800-883-2805
E-MAIL: elections@sos.louisiana.gov

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