BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office is reminding voters that April 15 is not just Tax Day, but also the deadline to register to vote or make changes to an existing registration in person or by mail ahead of the May 16 closed party primary election.

Any updates submitted by mail must be postmarked by April 15.

Voters who miss that deadline still have time to act online. Registration and updates can be completed through GeauxVote.com or the GeauxVote mobile app until April 25.

Louisiana’s May 16 election will feature a closed party primary system for the first time since the Legislature voted to make the change back in 2024. The voting experience will be largely the same, with one key difference—voters will receive ballots based on party affiliation.

Democratic and Republican voters will receive ballots specific to their party.

Unaffiliated, or “No Party” voters may choose to participate in either party’s primary—or neither—by completing a Declaration of Ballot Choice during early voting or on Election Day. This selection does not change party affiliation, but it does determine which primary ballot the voter receives. This declaration carries through to any necessary runoff in June.

Third-party voters, such as members of the Green or Libertarian parties, cannot participate in Democratic or Republican primaries but may vote in eligible races, propositions, and constitutional amendments.

During the November general election, registered voters, regardless of party, will be able to vote for any candidate in the general primary in November.

Voters are encouraged to check their party affiliation in advance, as past voting behavior may not reflect current registration.

With deadlines approaching, the Secretary of State’s Office is also addressing false and misleading information circulating on social media regarding inactive voter status.

Individuals who are on the inactive voter list are still eligible to vote but will be required to confirm their address prior to voting.

“Both federal and state laws require states to engage in meaningful voter list maintenance. The foundation of secure elections starts with clean and accurate voter lists,” Secretary Landry said. “Maintaining an inactive voter list is a routine and responsible part of that process. It ensures that when we conduct elections, we are working from the most up-to-date and reliable information possible. Being moved to the inactive list does not take away anyone’s right to vote but simply means we need to confirm their information is current.”

A voter is placed on the inactive list for only two reasons:

• The voter has had no activity, including voting, in the last 10 years; or
• The voter’s address could not be verified by their parish Registrar of Voters, often due to returned mail or routine canvassing.

Voters on the inactive list will have ample opportunity to confirm their address and be placed back on the active voter list. They may do this by updating their registration in person, by mail, or online at GeauxVote.com, or by completing an address confirmation form at the polls.

Failure to do so within two federal election cycles, whether at the polling place or their Registrar of Voters’ Office, will result in their record being removed from the voter registration list. If this happens, the voter simply needs to submit a new voter registration application to re-register, which can be done online.

Voters can check their registration status, including whether they are listed as inactive, by visiting GeauxVote.com or using the GeauxVote mobile app.

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Please be advised

The Parish Board of Election Supervisors will seal Early Voting machines for the May 16th, 2026 election on Tuesday, 04/21 @ 10AM at the Registrar of Voter’s Amite location.

110 N. 1st Street, Amite, LA 70422

*All PBES meetings are open to the public*

To view, click here.

BATON ROUGE, La. — The Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office is alerting residents about a fraudulent text message scam that aims to steal personal information and potentially charge unnecessary fees.

Residents may have received a message claiming to originate from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office. It uses language similar to other scam texts claiming to originate with the Office of Motor Vehicles. The Secretary of State’s Office did not send this text and Secretary of State Nancy Landry encourages anyone who receives the text to delete it. These messages are fraudulent; do not click the links, respond, or send payment.

The Secretary of State’s Office does not send unsolicited text messages or emails threatening prosecution or asking for payment. Residents are encouraged to check the Secretary of State’s website (sos.la.gov) and social media for accurate and up-to-date information.

Media Contact:
Trey Williams
Deputy Secretary for Communications and Policy
[email protected]
225-436-9582

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BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry announced that the Department of State’s 2026 legislative package for the upcoming Regular Legislative Session continues her focus on strengthening Louisiana’s strong election integrity and security laws.

“Louisiana has made tremendous progress over the past two years in strengthening the security and integrity of our elections,” Secretary Landry said. “Working with the Legislature, these measures will help us continue to protect voters, maintain accurate voter rolls, and ensure confidence in the integrity of Louisiana’s elections.” 

The Department’s bill package includes:

• HB691 by Representative Beau Beaullieu;
• HB547 by Representative Polly Thomas; and
• SB319 by Senator Thomas Pressly.

HB 691 by Rep. Beaullieu helps maintain the integrity of Louisiana’s voter rolls by checking it against the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to identify potential noncitizen matches.

HB 547 by Rep. Thomas prevents individuals from photographing, recording, or reproducing voter registration information in precinct registers. This protects voters who have not voted yet from intimidation tactics, as well as helps prevent attempts to vote under another’s name.

SB 319 by Sen. Pressly provides specific ways to positively verify the identity of those individuals who come to vote. This bill also adds additional ways for individuals who might not have their picture ID available to verify their identity so they can vote.

Together, these measures are designed to strengthen election integrity and security while protecting eligible voters.

Louisiana currently ranks 4th in the country in election integrity, according to the Heritage Foundation, moving up from ninth place in the last two years due to reforms by the Secretary of State and legislators. Arkansas and Tennessee are tied for first, followed by Alabama in third.

The rankings evaluate states across 14 categories, including voter ID implementation, accuracy of voter registration lists, absentee ballot management, vote counting practices, and verification of citizenship.

Secretary Landry will be available for 10 minute interviews by credentialed media via phone, virtually, or in-person at the Secretary of State’s Office on Wednesday, March 15 from 3-4:30 p.m. Interested media outlets can contact Trey Williams at [email protected] or 225-922-0820 to schedule a time to speak with Secretary Landry.

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