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Baton Rouge voting guide: What to know before you cast your ballot

The November 2024 elections are just weeks away.

In addition to voting for president, Louisiana voters will cast ballots in a number of congressional and local races and vote on several local propositions.  

Early voting started on Friday, and if you registered to vote, you should be able to cast your ballot ahead of Election Day.

Here's what you should know before you head to the polls.


Key dates and deadlines

  • Early voting: Oct. 18 through 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., excluding Sunday Oct. 20 and Sunday, Oct. 27
  • Deadline to request absentee ballots: Nov. 1 at 4:30 p.m., excluding military and overseas voters
  • Election Day: Polls are open from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5. 

Are you eligible to vote?

To vote in Louisiana, you must be:

  • Registered by the deadline
  • At least 18 years old
  • A U.S. citizen
  • A legal resident
  • Not under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony
  • Not judicially declared mentally incompetent

Are you registered to vote?

The deadline to register in-person or by mail was Monday, Oct. 7. The deadline to register online was Tuesday, Oct. 15.

The Louisiana Secretary of State's website has a voter portal you can use to check whether you’re registered to vote.

  1. To find your voting information, select "Search by Voter" 
  2. Type in your first and last name, zip code, birth month and year 
  3. Click "Submit," and the portal should pull up your information 

If you missed the deadline, you won’t be able to vote, but you can register for the next election online. If you’ve moved, changed your name, address or party affiliation, you should notify the registrar of voters in your parish or make changes online.


Can you vote by mail?

Unless you’re a military or overseas voter, you’ll need to have a specific reason to vote absentee. If you’re eligible, you can request an absentee ballot through the state’s online voter portal or you may print and mail an application directly to your registrar of voters. Military, overseas or hospitalized applicants must request their ballot by 4:30 p.m. the day before Election Day. All other applicants will need to request their ballots by 4:30 p.m. on the fourth day before the election.

Disabled, military and overseas voters may be able to get their absentee ballot electronically. For more information, they can contact their registrar of voters.

The deadlines for returning mail ballots are:

  • By 8 p.m. on Election Day for military personnel and hospitalized and overseas voters
  • By 4:30 p.m. the day before Election Day for all others 

How to vote early

If you’re registered to vote, you should be able to vote early.

For typical elections, the early voting period starts 14 to seven days before the election. For presidential elections, it begins 18 to seven days beforehand.

Designated polling places will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. for each day of early voting.

Here's a list of early voting locations in Baton Rouge:

  • Motor Vehicle Building, 2250 Main Street, Baker
  • Fire Station Building, 11010 Coursey Boulevard, Baton Rouge
  • Louisiana State Archives Building, 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge
  • Central Branch Library, 11260 Joor Road, Baton Rouge
  • Baton Rouge City Hall, 222 St Louis Street (Room 607), Baton Rouge

You can find early voting locations for each parish on the state’s online voter portal. 


Find your polling place

The state’s online voter portal tells you where to cast your vote. Search by voter or parish to find your polling location.


What’s on the ballot?

You can also view a sample of your ballot through the portal. Select the election date, your parish, ward and precinct, and your ballot should pop up.


What should I bring to the polls?

You’ll need to have a current and valid photo ID with your signature.

Options include:

  • Louisiana driver’s license
  • Louisiana special ID 
  • LA Wallet digital driver’s license
  • Military ID
  • Some other generally recognized picture ID 

If your ID does not have your picture or signature, you can still cast your vote by signature on a voter affidavit.


Read our coverage of a few key races and ballot measures:


On Nov. 5, East Baton Rouge residents will decide on hundreds of changes to the parish's Plan of Government that was originally enacted in 1949.
Top East Baton Rouge mayoral candidates Sharon Weston Broome and Ted James went head-to-head on Wednesday night, debating everything from infrastructure and climate change, to the new City of St. George and struggling public schools.
There’s a new congressional district in Louisiana that could help shape the balance of power in Washington this year. The state created the new 6th Congressional District after it was ordered to add a second majority Black district to the election map.
Five candidates running for mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish debated for nearly two hours on Tuesday night.
Firefighters in East Baton Rouge parish currently earn a starting salary of $33,207 a year – about 20% less than the industry standard of $40,000 in Louisiana; it's the bottom of the pay scale for a state that ranks 49th in the country for firefighter compensation. Ahead of Nov. 5, they are asking residents for help.
Three candidates are running for one open seat to serve as one of Louisiana’s top utility regulators.
East Baton Rouge Residents will decide on two tax renewals for Baton Rouge Recreation and Commission (BREC) on Nov. 5.

Athina is a digital content producer for WWNO in New Orleans and WRKF in Baton Rouge. She edits and produces content for the stations' websites and social media pages, and writes WWNO's weekly newsletter.
Before joining WRKF as the Capitol Access reporter, Brooke was the Assistant News Director at Louisiana Radio Network, where she also reported on statewide news and covered the state legislature.