How to Vote in Monroe, Louisiana

OUACHITA PARISH, LOUISIANA

How to Vote in Monroe

Who can vote, what ID you need, when and where to go, and what is on your ballot on November 3, 2026. Verified September 2026.

Read this first: to vote on Tuesday, November 3, register by Monday, October 5 in person or by mail, or by Tuesday, October 13 online. Early voting runs October 20 to 27. No photo ID? You can still vote a regular ballot by signing the Voter Identification Affidavit.

Can I vote?

To register and vote in Ouachita Parish you must be:

A United States citizen
A resident of Louisiana and of the parish where you register
At least 18 years old on or before Election Day. You can register at 17, and at 16 if you register in person at the Registrar of Voters office or an Office of Motor Vehicles
Not under a full interdiction for mental incompetence

If you have a felony conviction

Louisiana looks at incarceration, not the conviction itself. You cannot register while under an order of imprisonment for a felony. If you are on probation or parole and have not been incarcerated in the last five years, you can register and vote. Election-fraud convictions are the exception. Not sure where you stand? Call the registrar and they will check for you: Ouachita Parish Registrar of Voters, (318) 327-1436.

The ID you need

Bring one of these to vote in person, at early voting or on Election Day:

Louisiana driver's license
Louisiana special identification card
Louisiana wallet digital driver's license on your phone
United States military ID with your name and picture
Any other generally recognised picture ID that shows both your name and your signature

No ID? You still vote. Tell the commissioner you do not have identification and ask for the Voter Identification Affidavit. You sign it, give your date of birth and mother's maiden name, and you cast a regular ballot that counts the same as everyone else's. Louisiana is a non-strict photo ID state, which is why this matters: nobody should leave the polls without voting because of ID.

This changes on July 1, 2027 - get an ID before then.

Senate Bill 319, signed in June 2026, removes the affidavit option. From July 1, 2027, if you turn up without an accepted photo ID you will cast a conditional paper ballot instead, and it only counts if you bring identification to the Registrar of Voters office by 4:30 p.m. on the second day after the election. Without that, your ballot is not counted.

After that date you can prove identity with two primary documents, such as a passport card, Social Security card, certificate of citizenship or tribal ID, or one primary document plus a secondary one like a current utility bill, bank statement or pay stub.

The simplest protection is a Louisiana special ID card, and it is free if you are registered to vote. Get one at any Office of Motor Vehicles, bring your voter information card, and this stops being a problem. VoteRiders will help you free of charge, including paying for the documents you need.

If you have a felony conviction

Louisiana's rule is about incarceration, not the conviction itself. You cannot register while under an order of imprisonment for a felony. But if you are on probation or parole and have not been incarcerated in the last five years, you can register and vote. This is often called the five-year rule. The one exception is a conviction for election fraud or another election offence. If you are unsure where you stand, your Registrar of Voters office will check for you.

2026 is the first year Louisiana has used closed party primaries, and the plan changed partway through, so here is exactly what applies this fall.

U.S. Senate and the Public Service Commission used closed party primaries. Registered Republicans voted in the Republican primary on May 16 (runoff June 27), registered Democrats in the Democratic one, and unaffiliated voters could choose one. The nominees now meet in the November 3 general election. That is how Julia Letlow (R) and Jamie Davis (D) became the two names on the Senate ballot.

U.S. House went back to the open primary. After the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s congressional map in Louisiana v. Callais in April 2026, the House primaries were cancelled and a new map was drawn. House candidates of every party now share one ballot on November 3, and if nobody tops 50 percent the top two meet on December 12.

Local, parish, judicial and most state races use Louisiana’s open primary. All candidates of every party appear on one ballot and every voter can vote for any of them, whatever their own registration. A candidate who clears 50 percent wins outright. Otherwise the top two go to a runoff, even if they are from the same party. You never need to join a party to vote in these races.

Louisiana does not have no-excuse mail voting. You qualify if you are 65 or older, out of the parish during early voting and on Election Day, hospitalised, disabled, a student or a student's spouse living outside the parish, in the military, incarcerated but not convicted of a felony, or working as an election official. Voters who are 65 or older or who have a disability can apply once to receive ballots automatically for future elections. If this is your first time voting in Louisiana and you registered by mail, you may have to vote in person the first time.

Voter registration

There are three ways to register or update your registration:

Online at GeauxVote, the Secretary of State voter portal, if you have a Louisiana driver license or special ID card. Deadline for November 3: Tuesday, October 13.
In person at your parish Registrar of Voters office or any Office of Motor Vehicles. Deadline: Monday, October 5.
By mail with a paper application, postmarked by Monday, October 5.

Already registered? Check that your name, address and party are right on the voter portal before the deadline, especially if you have moved.

Ouachita Parish Registrar of Voters

Isabelle Butler, Registrar
701 St. John St., Monroe, LA 71201
Phone (318) 327-1436
Registrar website

Primaries and party

Louisiana now runs two kinds of elections, and November 3 has both:

Party races. U.S. Senate, the Public Service Commission, BESE and the Louisiana Supreme Court now use closed party primaries. Those primaries were held May 16 and June 27, 2026. On November 3 the party nominees face each other.
Open races. This year only, U.S. House races are an open primary on November 3: every candidate is on one ballot and any registered voter can vote. Local offices (mayors, councils, judges, district attorneys, school boards) work the same way. A candidate who wins a majority is elected; otherwise the top two meet in a runoff on Saturday, December 12.

Candidates with no opponent are declared elected when qualifying closes, so they do not appear on your ballot.

When to vote

NEXT ELECTIONS

Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Congress, the Public Service Commission, judgeships, and state and local offices.

Register in person, by mail or at an OMV office: by October 5
Register online: by October 13
Early voting: October 20 to October 27, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sunday October 25
Request a mail ballot: by October 30
Mail ballot must be received: by November 2
Polls open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for Saturday elections) on Election Day

Saturday, December 12, 2026

Anything from November that went to a runoff, including U.S. House races, plus any special elections called for that date.

Register in person, by mail or at an OMV office: by November 12
Register online: by November 21
Early voting: November 28 to December 5, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sunday November 29
Request a mail ballot: by December 8
Mail ballot must be received: by December 11
Polls open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. (7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for Saturday elections) on Election Day

Deadlines are worked out from Louisiana law and the election date, and update on their own. Always confirm against the official calendar.

Where to vote

Early voting, October 20 to 27, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., closed Sunday, October 25. You can early vote at any site in your own parish:

Ouachita Parish

Registrar of Voters office, 701 St. John St., Monroe
West Ouachita Senior Center, 1800 N. 7th St., West Monroe

Sites can change close to the election. Confirm on the Secretary of State early voting list.

On Election Day, November 3, polls are open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and you must vote at your own precinct. If you are in line by 8 p.m., stay in line: you will vote.

Where do I vote?Early voting sites

Voting by mail is limited to voters who qualify, for example voters 65 and older, voters with a disability, and students or military members away from the parish. Request your ballot through the voter portal or your registrar by October 30.

My ballot

Here is what is on the November 3 ballot for voters in this area. Your exact ballot depends on your address; see yours on the voter portal.

U.S. Senate

Julia Letlow (R)
Jamie Davis (D)

U.S. House, District 5 (new 2026 map, open seat, open primary)

Stewart Cathey Jr. (R)
Misti Cordell (R)
Oscar “Omar” Dantzler (R)
Michael Echols (R)
Gabe Firment (R)
Austin Magee (R)
Dan McKay (D)
Patricia “Pat” Moore (D)
Antonio Wilson (D)

Public Service Commission, District 5

John E. Atkins (R)
James Edward Green (D)

District Attorney, 4th Judicial District (open seat)

Mennon Campbell Jr. (R)
Alvin Sharp (R)

4th Judicial District Court

Election Section 2, Division B: Adam Cossey, Brandon Creekbaum, C. Bryan Racer (all R)
Election Section 1, Division H: Carlton Parhms, Shirley Wilson Davis (both D)
Election Section 1, Division I: Mary Alice “Bryant” Cezar, Janet Floyd, Jasmyne McConnell (all D)

City courts and marshals

West Monroe City Judge: Brandi Cole (R), Brian Harkins (R)
Monroe City Marshal: Robert Cherry Jr. (incumbent), Chris Lewis
West Monroe City Marshal: Joel Dyke (R), John Rutledge (R)

School boards

Ouachita Parish School Board: contested in Districts A, D and F
Monroe City School Board: contested in Districts 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7

Also on some ballots

Justice of the Peace, Ward 2; Constable, Ward 6; Sterlington aldermen
There is no Monroe mayor or city council race on November 3

Statewide

10 proposed amendments to the Louisiana Constitution

Already elected without opposition

Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jay B. McCallum (District 4); Monroe City Court Judges Tammy Lee, Angie Sturdivant and Aisha Clark; most 4th Judicial District Court judges; Sterlington Mayor Matt Talbert. There are no Ouachita Parish propositions on November 3; Police Jury tax renewals are set for December 12.

See my sample ballot

Who represents you

Every office a Monroe-area voter elects, from the President and the U.S. Supreme Court down to your parish, city and school board, is on our politics page, sorted by branch with a plain-language description of what each office does.

Monroe politics

Learn more

Public libraries are a good place to get help with the voter portal and to pick up a paper registration form:

Ouachita Parish Public Library, Main Branch, 1800 Stubbs Ave., Monroe, (318) 327-1490