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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