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!
• Anyone who is on probation or parole and has been out of prison for five years can vote. 

• The deadline to register to vote in person or by mail is Oct. 5, 2020. The deadline to register to vote through the GeauxVote Online Registration System is Oct. 13, 2020.
• Use this online application to register or update your registration.
• Once you have completed the application, you can print and mail your application to your parish’s registrar of voters.
• If you’re verified by the Office of Motor Vehicles, you can submit your application electronically. To submit electronically, you must have your Louisiana driver's license or Louisiana special ID card in hand when you begin the process. There is an audit code (a four digit number labeled AUDIT on the front of the license) that you must enter.

• You may be eligible to vote by mail if you are a senior citizen, incarcerated, residing in a nursing home, a student living outside your parish, temporarily absent from the state of Louisiana, or if you meet other criteria for not being able to get to the polls in-person. Download a general application for absentee vote by mail including a full list of eligibility criteria. 
• In addition, this year, voters who are at risk of severe illness from COVID-19, experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, subject to quarantine due to COVID-19 or caring for someone in quarantine can vote by mail in Louisiana. Download a COVID-19 absentee ballot application.  
• The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 30, 2020. 

Vote by Mail:

• Request an absentee ballot by Oct. 30, 2020 at 4:30pm from your parish’s registrar of voters.
• Mail your absentee ballot to your parish’s registrar of voters as soon as you can. It must be received by the registrar by 4:30pm on Nov. 2, 2020.
• If you don’t receive your absentee ballot in time to send it in on time, please vote on Election Day.

Early Voting: 

• Early voting is Oct. 16-27 (excluding Sunday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 25)
• You can find a complete list of early voting locations for the entire state here.
• Bring your ID. 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 print a new one by logging into the Voter Portal or requesting one from your parish’s registrar of voters.
• Even if you don’t have ID with you, you can vote by signing a voter affidavit. 

Election Day:

• Election day is November 3, 2020.
• Polls are open from 7:00 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.
• Bring your ID. 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 print a new one by logging into the Voter Portal or requesting one from your parish’s registrar of voters.
• Even if you don’t have ID with you, you can vote by signing a voter affidavit. 

Bring your photo ID

• 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 print a new one by logging into the Voter Portal or requesting one from your parish’s registrar of voters.
• Even if you don’t have ID with you, you can vote by signing a voter affidavit. 

Face covering: The governor has mandated the use of face coverings statewide.

• 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 Workers" guide. 
• There may be an election protection monitor at your polling place whom you can ask for assistance. 
• If no one is around:
  • File a complaint with the ACLU of Louisiana at intake.laaclu.org. 
  • 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
  • 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 online. Click provisional voter search to check if your provisional ballot was counted.