Voting While Trans in Louisiana

• If you are 18 or older by Election Day, reside in Louisiana and in the parish where you’re registered, and not in prison for conviction of a felony, you can vote!

• Also, anyone who’s on probation or parole AND has been out of prison for five years can vote. Check out this video from our friends at VOTE for more information. 

The deadline to register to vote in person or by mail is Oct. 7, 2024. The deadline to register online is by Oct. 15, 2024.

You may register in person at any of the following locations:

• Registrar of Voters office; Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles; WIC offices; food stamp offices; Medicaid offices; or Armed Forces recruitment offices.
• If registering in person at a parish Registrar of Voters Office, you are required to prove age, residency and identity. You must submit your current Louisiana driver's license or your birth certificate. If you have no driver's license, special Louisiana ID or social security number, you may provide a picture ID, a utility bill, payroll check or government document that includes your name and address.

• Print and Mail Application: Print an application and deliver it to your parish’s registrar of voters by mail, fax, or hand deliver your application. Delivery of the application by any means can only be for you or your immediate family member. The immediate family member must sign a statement certifying their relationship to you. If a witness signature is required, the witness must be 18 years of age and provide their mailing address in the appropriate space of the certificate. 

• Online Application: Request an absentee ballot on the Louisiana Voter Portal. Once on the portal Click “Search By Voter.” Complete the requested information and hit “Submit.”  Hit the “Request Absentee Ballott” link and then complete the requested information and “Submit.”

• Requests for an absentee ballot must be received by November 1, 2024 by 4:30 p.m.

• Vote by Mail:

  • Mail your absentee ballot to your parish’s registrar of voters as soon as you can. It must be received by the registrar by Nov. 4, 2023 by 4:30 p.m. If you don’t receive your absentee ballot in time for send it in on time, please vote on Election Day.

• Early voting is October 18 through October 29 (excluding Sunday, October 20 and Sunday, October 27) from 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
• Election Day: Election day is November 5, 2024. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. CST. All voters in line by 8:00 p.m. CST have the right to vote. To find your polling place, log on to the Louisiana Voter Portal.

• You must have either ID or a signed voter affidavit.
  • You may use a Louisiana driver’s license, a Louisiana special identification card*, LA Wallet, a United States military identification card that contains the applicant's name and picture or other recognized ID that has your name and signature.
  • You can request a La. special ID card from your local Office of Motor Vehicles. Even if you misplace your special ID card, you may request one from your parish’s registrar of voters.
• Face covering if you prefer
• Your sample ballot and a good idea of how you’ll vote on the issues.
  • State law provides a 6-minute time limit in the voting booth, and 20 minutes for voters requiring assistance due to a disability. Make sure to review your sample ballot ahead of time and plan your vote!

• For the smoothest in-person voting experience, you should update your registration and file proof of your legal name change with your parish’s registrar of voters.

• If you have legally changed your name since registering to vote but it is too late to update your voter registration to reflect this change, you should bring proof of your legal name change (e.g., a court order) to the polls.

• If the poll worker persists, ask for a “provisional” ballot.

In Louisiana, when you change the name on your ID, your voter registration should update, too.   

Gender identity or presentation has no impact on your constitutional right to vote. There is no requirement that the picture or gender on your photo ID match your current gender presentation.

• If issues persist, please show them the “Information for Poll Commissioners" guide. 

• There may be an election protection monitor at your polling place whom you can ask for assistance.

• If no one is around, request a provisional ballot.

  • You must complete the affidavit on the ballot envelope, vote your ballot, place it in the ballot envelope and seal before returning it to the commissioner. The commissioner will give you a ballot stub that has a number that can be used to track the ballot. Keep this stub.

  • Call the Election Protection Hotline 

    • English: 1-866-OUR VOTE
    • Spanish: 1-888-839-8682
    • Asian languages: 1-888-274-8683
    • Arabic: 1-844-418-1682
    • ASL (video call): 1-301-818-8683