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Louisiana absentee and mail ballot guide
Louisiana absentee ballot overview
Absentee ballots and mail ballots are the same thing, and the process for getting one is straight forward.
- Request your ballot by the deadline
- Receive your in ballot in the mail
- Return your ballot by the deadline
Louisiana absentee deadlines
- Earliest day to apply: January 1
- Request deadline (online): 4 days before Election Day
- Request deadline (by mail): Received 4 days before Election Day
- Request deadline (in person): 4 days before Election Day
- Deadline to return your ballot (by mail): Received 1 day BEFORE Election Day
- Deadline to return your ballot (in person): Received 1 day BEFORE Election Day
Louisiana absentee ballot rules
You can vote by absentee ballot in Louisiana if:
- you are 65 years or older,
- you are a student or teacher located and living outside of your parish of registration, or the spouse/dependent thereof,
- you are a minister, priest, rabbi, or other member of the clergy assigned outside of your parish of registration, or the spouse/dependent thereof,
- you are or expect to be temporarily outside the state or absent from your parish of registration during the early voting period and on Election Day,
- you moved over 100 miles away from your former residence within 30 days of Election Day,
- you are involuntarily confined or incarcerated in an institution either for mental treatment (must be confined outside of your place of registration and not be judicially declared incompetent) or for a conviction (although you must NOT be serving time for a felony conviction),
- you expect to be hospitalized on Election Day and did not know until after the early voting period OR you were hospitalized during early voting and expect to be hospitalized on Election Day, or
- you are a participant in the Department of State’s Address Confidentiality Program.
Louisiana online ballot request (recommended)
- Visit the Louisiana absentee ballot website.
- Fill out all of the required information.
- Hit save or submit when you are done.
- The deadline to apply online is: 4 days before Election Day.
Louisiana by-mail ballot request
- Download the Louisiana absentee ballot application.
- Fill out all of the required fields.
- Print the application.
- Sign and date your application. This is very important.
- Mail or hand-deliver your completed application directly to your local election office as soon as possible, but no later than the deadline.
- If it’s close to the deadline, call your local election office and see if they will let you submit your application via email or fax.
- The deadline to apply by mail is: Received 4 days before Election Day.
Louisiana in-person ballot request
- Visit your local election office.
- Ask the clerk to give you an absentee ballot application.
- Fill out all of the required fields.
- Sign and date your application.
- The deadline to apply in person is: 4 days before Election Day.
After you receive your ballot
- Carefully read and follow the instructions, and fill out all required fields.
- Sign and date the outside envelope.
- Mail or hand-deliver your ballot to your local election office. You can also hand-deliver your ballot to a state-provided drop box. Please check with your local election office if your county has a drop box. You can use our Find Out Where To Vote tool to find an official drop box.
- If you mail your ballot, it must be received 1 day BEFORE Election Day.
- If you hand-deliver your ballot, it must be received 1 day BEFORE Election Day.
- If you miss the deadline – or forget to sign the outside envelope – your vote will not be counted.
Louisiana absentee ballot ID requirements
- ID required when requesting a mail-in ballot: * Online application: you can apply online if you have a Louisiana driver's license or state ID card. * Paper application: the signature on your absentee application will be compared to the signature on your voter registration card to ensure they match. Your application must also be signed by two witnesses.
- ID required when returning a mail-in ballot: Your signature on the return envelope will be compared to the signature on your voter registration card to ensure they match. If you forget to sign the return envelope, your ballot might be rejected.
Local election office
Contact your local election office if you have questions.
Statewide election office
This is the statewide agency that is ultimately responsible for Louisiana elections. You can contact them with questions, but your local election office will probably respond faster.
Secretary of State Attention: Elections Division P.O. Box 94125 Baton Rouge, LA 70804‐9125
External resources
- Louisiana online voter registration
- Louisiana online absentee ballot request
- Louisiana voter status lookup
- Louisiana absentee ballot tracker
- Louisiana provisional ballot tracker
- Louisiana polling place locator