Friday, Oct. 16 marked the first day of early voting in the state of Louisiana. Read this guide on how to vote and what will be on your ballot below:
Am I registered to vote?
To find out if you’re registered to vote, follow these steps:
- Click the following link: https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/
- Click ‘search by voter’.
- Enter your first and last name, your ZIP code and your birth month and year.
If you are registered to vote in the state of Louisiana, the portal will display your name, party affiliation, parish, ward/precinct and voter status. It will also display a list of links to information such as voter registration, election calendar and ballot information.
How do I early vote?
All early voting locations in Louisiana will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Monday, Oct. 16, to Tuesday, Oct. 27.
You MUST bring one of the following documents in order to vote:
- Louisiana driver’s license
- Louisiana special identification card
- United States military identification card (that contains your name and picture)
- Other generally recognized picture identification card that has your name and signature, like an unexpired passport.
Here are some early voting locations:
East Baton Rouge Parish:
- City of Baker Express Office of Motor Vehicles, 2250 Main St., Baker, Louisiana
- Louisiana State Archives Building, 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- East Baton Rouge Parish Central Library, 11260 Joor Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Baton Rouge City Hall, 222 St. Louis St., Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Forest Community Park, 13900 S. Harrells Ferry Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Orleans Parish:
- City Hall of New Orleans, 1300 Perdido St. #1W24, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Algiers Courthouse, 225 Morgan St., New Orleans, Louisiana
- Voting Machine Warehouse, 8870 Chef Menteur Highway, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Lake Vista Community Center, 6500 Spanish Fort Blvd. 2nd floor, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Smoothie King Center, 1501 Dave Dixon Drive, New Orleans, LA 70113
St. Tammany Parish:
- St. Tammany Justice Center Parking Garage, 601 N. Jefferson Ave., Covington, Louisiana
- The Towers Building, 520 Old Spanish Trail Suite 2F, Slidell, Louisiana
- St. Tammany Administrative Complex, 21490 Koop Drive Building A, Mandeville, Louisiana
Acadia Parish:
- 568 N.W. Court Circle, Crowley, Louisiana
Didn’t see your parish listed? Find it here.
If I can’t early vote, how else do I vote?
Mail-in ballots
- Review the absentee ballot application here and confirm that you meet eligibility requirements.
- Fill out the application for an absentee ballot and submit it to your local election office in-person or by mail by Friday, Oct. 30. You can find your office here. You can also submit it online by logging into the Louisiana voter portal and clicking ‘Request absentee ballot.’
- When your ballot arrives, read it carefully and follow the instructions to complete it and return it.
- Your ballot must be received by the state by Monday, Nov. 2 at 4:30 p.m.
Election day voting
All election day voting locations in Louisiana will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
You MUST bring one of the following documents in order to vote:
- Louisiana driver’s license
- Louisiana special identification card
- United States military identification card (that contains your name and picture)
- Other generally recognized picture identification card that has your name and signature, like an unexpired passport.
To find out if your polling location, follow these steps:
- Click the following link: https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/
- Click ‘search by voter’.
- Enter your first and last name, your ZIP code and your birth month and year.
- Click ‘Quick links’
- Click ‘My Election Day Voting Location’.
Who is running for United States president?
Donald Trump (R)
Donald John Trump is the 45th and current president of the United States. Before entering politics, he was a businessman and television personality. He is representing the Republican Party and his running mate Mike Pence, the current Vice President of the United States. He served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013.
Joe Biden (D)
Joe Biden is the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States and his running mate is Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California). He was formerly the 47th vice president of the United States, having served two consecutive terms under former President Barack Obama. Harris has served as a U.S. Senator since 2017, and before that served as the attorney general for California.
Jo Jorgenson (L)
Jo Jorgensen is an American academic and libertarian political activist. Jorgensen is the Libertarian Party’s nominee for president of the United States in the 2020 election. She was previously the party’s nominee for vice president in the 1996 U.S. presidential election as the running mate of author Harry Browne. Her running mate is Jeremy “Spike” Cohen, an American political activist, entrepreneur, and podcaster.
Kanye West (Other)
Kanye West is an American rapper, producer and fashion designer and running for President of the United States under the Birthday Party with running mate Michelle Tidball. West announced his intent to run in 2016 under the trending slogan ‘KANYE 2020’. He is married to media icon Kim Kardashian West. With 21 Grammys, West is one of the top GRAMMY winners in history, and is tied with Jay Z as the highest-decorated hip-hop artist. West visited Baton Rouge last year as part of his Sunday Service tour.
Other candidates: Brian Caroll (American Solidarity Party), Jade Simmons (Becoming One Nation), President Boddie (C.U.P), Don Blankenship (Constitution Party), Brock Pierce (Freedom and Prosperity), Tom Hoefling (Life, Liberty, Constitution), Gloria La Riva (Socialism and Liberation), Alyson Kennedy (Socialist Workers Party), Bill Hammons (Unity Party America)
U.S. Senator
To learn more about each candidate, click on their name to be directed to their website.
- “Bill” Cassidy (R), incumbent
- Beryl Billiot (NP)
- John Paul Bourgeois (NP)
- Reno Jean Daret, III (NP)
- Derrick “Champ” Edwards (D)
- “Xan” John (O)
- David Drew Knight (D)
- M.V. “Vinny” Mendoza (I)
- Jamar Montgomery (NP)
- Dustin Murphy (R)
- Adrian Perkins (D)
- Antoine Pierce (D)
- Melinda Mary Price (O)
- Aaron C. Sigler (L)
- Peter Wenstrup (D)
U.S. Representative (6th Congressional District)
To learn more about each candidate, click on their name to be directed to their website.
- Garret Graves (R), incumbent
- Shannon Sloan (L)
- Richard “RPT” Torregano (NP)
- Dartanyon “DAW” Williams (D)
Louisiana Constitutional amendments
This election will also feature seven amendments to the state constitution, including the controversial amendment 1, which declares that that the Louisiana constitution does not provide the right to abortion. Here is a run-down of the seven amendments, offered by the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana.
Amendment 1: No right to abortion
YES: State that nothing in the Constitution protects a right to abortion.
NO: Leave the Constitution with no specific language on abortion.
Amendment 2: Oil and gas well assessment
YES: Allow for a well’s oil and gas production when valuing it for property tax assessment.
NO: Keep the current methods of oil and gas well assessment.
Amendment 3: Rainy Day Fund and disasters
YES: Allow the Budget Stabilization Fund to be tapped when there is a federally declared disaster.
NO: Continue to restrict use of the Budget Stabilization Fund to revenue shortfalls.
Amendment 4: State budget expenditure limit
YES: Create a new state budget spending limit with probable slower growth.
NO: Continue the current method for an expenditure limit.
Amendment 5: Payments instead of property taxes
YES: Provide new options for manufacturers & local govt’s to schedule payments instead of property taxes for industrial expansions.
NO: Leave the current system as the only set of options for property taxes, payments or exemptions for manufacturers.
Amendment 6: Expanded property tax freezes
YES: Allow homeowners with higher incomes to qualify for the property tax assessment freeze.
NO: Keep the current income threshold for property tax freezes.
Amendment 7: New fund for unclaimed property protection
YES: Protect unclaimed property money in a new trust fund.
NO: Keep the current program that benefits the state general fund.
Proposition to allow sports betting by parish
YES: Permit sports wagering in your parish.
NO: Forbid sports wagering in your parish.
For a more comprehensive look into the amendments, here is the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana’s mini-guide:
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden smiles while being introduced at a campaign event at Saint Augustine's University in Raleigh, N.C., Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
