Louisiana Absentee Ballot Process

You must have a reason to vote by mail, unless you are a military or overseas citizen (please see below for more information for military and overseas voting). There are 12 reasons to vote by mail:

• You are a senior citizen 65 years of age or older
• You are a home or a nursing home or veterans' home resident and you have been previously approved for the Disability program, or you are disabled, homebound or a nursing or veterans' home resident and you are submitting current proof of disability with your application. For more information on the Disability Program, click here.
• A student, instructor, or professor (or spouse or dependents of the following,) in an institution of higher learning located outside the parish.
• A minister, priest, rabbi, or clergy (or spouse or dependents of the following,) assigned to a religious post outside the parish.
• A person who is or who expects to be temporarily outside the territorial limits of the state or absent from the parish during early voting and on Election Day.
• A person who has moved after the registration books closed (30 days prior to an election) to another parish and the new residence is more than 100 miles from the parish of former residence.
• A sequestered jury member.
• A person who expects to be hospitalized on Election Day and did not have such knowledge until after early voting week passed.
• A person who expects to be hospitalized on Election Day and who was hospitalized during early voting.
• A person who was hospitalized and released prior to an election but who is either hospitalized or restricted to bed during early voting and on Election Day.
• A person who by virtue of employment or occupation expects to be out of their precinct during early voting and on Election Day.
• You are involuntarily confined in an institution for mental treatment outside your parish of registration and you are not interdicted and not judically declared incompetent.
• You are incarcerated or expect to be incarcerated in an institution inside or outside your parish of registration and you are not under an order of imprisonment for convition of a felony

To request normal absentee ballots by mail, you must complete and return a request for absentee ballot indicating the reason you are not able to vote in person absentee or in person on Election Day.

You may request an absentee ballot as early as 60 days prior to the election.

Timeline to request an absentee ballot by mail

• Military Personnel: Anytime before 4:30pm on the day before election day
• US Citizens residing outside the US: Anytime beofre 4:30pm on the day before election day
• Hospitalization: By 4:30pm on the day before election day
• All others: Anytime before 4:30pm on the 4th day before election day

Deadlines for returning your voted ballots

• Military Personnel: By 8pm on election day
• US citizens residing outside the US: By 8pm on election day
• Hospitalization: By 8pm on election day
• All others: By 4:30pm on the day before election day

You are entitled to receive assistance while absentee voting if you are unable to read or unable to vote without assistance because of a physical handicap, including blindness. You may choose who assists you as long as they are not a candidate, employer, employer's agent or your union agent.

Displaced voters can vote by mail or vote early in person at the registrar of voters office of their parish, or on election day at their precinct. Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation.