Louisiana 

2024 Voting Information and Resources for Disabled Voters

Email organizing@newdisabledsouth.org to request this page in document format.

Have questions about voting, need assistance or want to report any barriers you ran into registering or voting? 

Call or text 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)

ASL Hotline: 301-818-VOTE (301-818-8683)

The deadline to register to vote in the 2024 General Election has passed. 

  • Updates (as of August 1, 2024) to Registering to Vote: If you need help filling out a voter registration form the new law says that the ONLY people who can help you register are:

    • An immediate family member;

    • A person who is not an immediate family member such as: a friend, neighbor, caregiver, or other person ONLY if they have not helped someone in this election cycle already;

    • A registrar of voters or an employee from the registrar of voters;

    • The secretary of state or an employee from their office who performs election duties;

    • Any entity or individual that is required by law to perform voter registration activities; OR

    • At a voter registration drive.

  • Voting in person

    • Early Voting from October 18th to October 29, 2024 (Closed Sunday, October 20). You can vote at any early voting location in the county where you are registered to vote. Hours vary by location. Find yours here.

    • Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2024. You can vote between 7am-8pm at your assigned polling place on Election Day. 

    • Make your plan to vote before now: 

      • Find your polling place

      • You must have an acceptable form of identification to vote. Have questions about ID or need help getting an ID? Call or text VoteRiders at 866-432-8683

      • Decide how you’re going to get to and from your polling place. Arrange your transportation ahead of time, don’t wait until the day you want to vote! 

      • Get your friends, family or neighbors to go vote with you

      • Find out what will be on your ballot

        • by going to the Voter Portal or by visiting Ballotpedia’s Sample Ballot Lookup

        • There may be ballot measures, local offices, state offices and federal offices on your ballot. 

        • A ballot measure is a law, issue, or question that you can vote on. They can include important questions about supporting your community & keeping it safe. 

        • State level politicians shape policies & make decisions about programs like Medicaid, waivers, healthcare, affordable housing, schools & more!

        • Local politicians decide things like where or how much public transportation there is, access to voting and how smooth or clean our streets are. 

      • Research the candidates and issues before you vote: 

  • Need a ride to the polls?

  • Voting by mail/absentee

    • In Louisiana you must have a reason to be eligible to absentee vote by mail. 

    • Requesting your ballot (do it ASAP if you’re voting by mail):

      • Friday, November 1 by 4:30pm: deadline to request an absentee ballot for the November 5 General Election. 

      • You can request an absentee ballot online or through your Registrar of Voters Office  

    • Returning your ballot:

      • Monday, November 4 by 4:30 PM: deadline for your Registrar of Voters to receive your completed ballot

  • Accommodations and assistance for voters with disabilities in Louisiana:

    • In person voting: 

      • If you need help voting in person, you are allowed to have someone help you. You will need to complete a Voter Assistance form. 

        • However, a friend, caregiver, neighbor, ect cannot assist more than one person per voting cycle in the voting process (see new voting laws as of August 2024 here) 

      • There is no curbside voting in Louisiana. 

      • If you “have a visible physical disability or possess a current mobility impairment identification card” you can ask the poll workers to go to the front of the line to vote during Early Voting or on Election Day. 

      • Every voter has 3 minutes to vote however if you need assistance in voting or if you will be using the audio voting keypad, you will have 20 minutes to vote. 

      • Every polling place is required to have at least one accessible voting machine (sometimes called a ballot marking device). Every voter is allowed to use this machine. The poll workers can teach you how to use it.

        • Ways an accessible voting machine can help you vote: 

          • You can use a touch screen or tactile keypad to click through each question and mark your choices. Some accessible machines also allow you to plug in a sip-and-puff device. 

          • You can make the font bigger and change the colors to make the ballot easier to read. 

          • The voting machine also has headphones. The machine can read your ballot out loud to you, so you can listen to the questions.

          • You can go back through your ballot choices and make sure you selected the right ones before printing your ballot and casting your vote. 

    • Voting by mail/absentee:

      • If you have a documented disability, are 65 years old or older, or you will be away from home on Election Day, you can vote absentee/by mail in Louisiana. Find out more here.

      • If you need help filling out the application to vote by mail or filling out your absentee ballot that will be turned in by mail, a new law says that you may only get help from: an immediate family member, an employee of the registrar of voters, or a person who is not an immediate family member ONLY if they have not helped someone else during this election. 

      • If you need assistance in returning your ballot: 

        • An immediate family member may deliver it to the mailbox, postal service or registrar’s office (if they return it to the office, they will have to give their name and address) for you; OR

        • A friend, neighbor, caregiver, or other person ONLY if they have not already helped someone else submit their ballot in the current election cycle.

 Resources & additional information for disabled voters: 

  • What if I have questions about voting, need assistance or want to report any barriers I faced with voting? Call or text 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) 

  • Can I vote if I have a disability? Yes! People with disabilities who are 18 or older have the right to vote. Your vote matters and is protected by law to make sure that you can vote independently, accessibly and privately. 

  • Can I vote if I have a guardian? In Louisiana, just having a guardian does not automatically take away your right to vote. However, sometimes a court may decide that you cannot vote. If you are not sure, you can check your guardianship order. If your guardianship order does not say anything about voting, this means you can still vote! Your right has only been taken away if your order directly says that.

  • How do I know if I can vote? Ask your guardian. If they won’t tell you, call the Disability Rights Louisiana at 1-800-960-7705 

Other voting resources: