NEW ORLEANS — The governor's primary election has been set for Sat. Oct. 14 of this year. There will also be an absentee period that ends on Oct. 10.
The final deadline to register to vote was Sept. 23.
If no one candidate receives a majority of the vote, there will be a general election on Nov. 18.
Here are some more important things to know.
Who can register to vote?:
According to the Secretary of State's website in order to register, you must fulfill these qualifications:
- be a U.S. citizen;
- be 17 years old (16 years old if registering in person at the Registrar of Voters Office or at the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles), but must be 18 years old to vote;
- not be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony or, if under such an order not have been incarcerated pursuant to the order within the last five years and not be under an order of imprisonment related to a felony conviction for election fraud or any other election offense pursuant to La. R.S. 18:1461.2;
- not be under a judgment of full interdiction for mental incompetence or partial interdiction with suspension of voting rights;
- reside in the state and parish in which you seek to register; and
- must be registered at least 20 days prior to an election if registering through our GeauxVote Online Registration System with a Louisiana driver's license or Louisiana special ID card or 30 days prior to an election if registering in person or by mail to be eligible to vote in that particular election. If mailing in an application, the application or envelope must be postmarked 30 days prior to the first election in which you seek to vote.
What you need to bring to register:
You can bring just your driver's license.
"If you have no driver's license, special Louisiana ID or social security number, you may provide a picture ID, a utility bill, payroll check or government document that includes your name and address," according to the Louisiana secretary of state site.
You can also register by mail by filling out this registration application and mailing it to your local Registrar of Voters Office. Here are a list of the different offices throughout the state.
You need a photo ID to vote in Louisiana.
"If you do not have a photo ID, you may obtain a free Louisiana special identification card by presenting your voter registration information card to the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMD), or you may vote by affidavit after correctly answering identifying information," according to the Louisiana secretary of state's office.
What's on my ballot?
To find out what is on your ballot you can search by your name and zip code, or by parish here.
When is early voting?:
Early voting will take place in the primary election from Sat. Sept. 30 to Sat. Oct. 7 (excluding Sun. Oct. 1.) From 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
For the general election, early voting will take place from Fri. Nov. 3, to Sat. Nov. 11, except for Sun. Nov. 5 and Fri. Nov. (Veterans Day.) From 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Where are the early voting locations?:
The Secretary of State website has a parish by parish list of early voting sites on their website.
Where to vote on Election Day:
The Louisiana Secretary of State website has a portal where you can find out voting locations by entering information.
Candidates for Governor:
You can hear from candidates vying to be the next Louisiana governor in a debate on WWL-TV
Join us Thurs., Sept. 7 at 7 p.m., live here on WWL-TV and streaming on our social media platforms.
Here are the candidates for governor who have qualified for the October primary., some of which will appear in the upcoming debate.
- Sharon Hewitt , a Republican, from Slidell, is a state senator for Louisiana’s 1st district, which includes parts of St. Tammany, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard Parishes. Hewitt has served in the state senate since 2016, and has been the Republican Majority Leader since 2020.
Hewitt has taken aim at Republican frontrunner Jeff Landry during her campaign, criticizing his energy policy.
"He has damaged the most important industry in our state," Hewitt said. "And pushed high-paying jobs to Texas by siding with the trial lawyers instead of the oil and gas companies in the coastal lawsuits."
Landry responded to Hewitt's comments by commenting on the state senator's poll numbers, adding he is not worried about what his competitors have said. - Jeff Landry, a Republican, originally from St. Martin Parish, has served as Attorney General of Louisiana since 2016. Before that, Landry represented the 3rd congressional district in the U.S. House, now represented by Rep. Clay Higgins. At the time, Landry was in the House, that district included New Iberia, Bayou Cane, Houma, Laplace and Chalmette.
Landry served in the Louisiana Army National Guard, while in high school. He also was in the U.S. Army during Operation Desert Storm, during the Persian Gulf War.
Landry has endorsements from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Former President Donald Trump and the Louisiana Republican Party.
In his campaign ads Landry has taken aim at how other law enforcement leaders in the state have handled crime during his tenure as state attorney general.
"When DA's fail to prosecute," Landry said in April campaign ad. "When judges fail to act, when police are handcuffed instead of the criminals, enough is enough." - Hunter Lundy, an Independent from Lake Charles, is a senior partner at a local insurance firm.
Lundy has said he wants to continue the 0.45% temporary state sales tax.
"We're going to renew it and we're going to use the money to pay for teachers that we promised them and didn't keep the promise," Lundy said. "We're going to pay policemen, we're going to pay firemen." - Richard Nelson, a Republican from Mandeville, has served in the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2020. He represents the state’s 89th district which includes parts of St. Tammany Parish.
Nelson laid out some of his message in January, when the state representative launched his campaign.
"I believe we have a golden opportunity to fundamentally change Louisiana into a diverse economy and ample opportunity for every citizen," Nelson said. "I want parents in Houston and New York to be telling their friends that their kid just got a job in Louisiana, not the other way around." - John Schroder, a Republican who lives in Covington, has served as the Louisiana state treasurer since 2017. Before that role, Schroder served in the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2008, representing the 77th district (parts of St. Tammany Parish).
"I'm talking about a culture of corruption and political insiders who live off the system," Schroder said when he registered in August. "Those who are there and tell you what is best for our states while they're lining their own pockets."
Schroder grew up in Jefferson Parish and went to St. Mary Magdalen and East Jefferson High School, both in Metairie. Schroder went to college at Southeastern. - Stephen Waguespack, a Republican originally from Ascension Parish, has been the president and CEO of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry for 10 years. Before that, Waguespack worked in various executive roles inside the administration of former Gov. Bobby Jindal, including chief of staff.
"I'm a conservative, but I will work with everyone and anyone to try and get a solution that moves the state forward," Waguespack said after he launched his campaign in March. " That's all I really care about."
U.S. Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) endorsed Waguespack in June. - Shawn Wilson, a Democrat, from Lafyette, served as Louisiana’s Secretary of Transportation and development from 2016 until March of this year.
"We have to get past the political partisanship and start to build a system and a state and economy and recognize that some ideological fights are the things that continue to drag down the market," Wilson told Eyewitness News Paul Murphy in August. "I've worked on all sides of the aisle to get things done for Louisiana in Democratic as well as Republican administrations."
Gov. John Bel Edwards endorsed Wilson in March. Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) has also endorsed Wilson. In June, the Louisiana Democratic Party endorsed Wilson.
Republicans Patrick Henry "Dat" Barthel; Xan John and Democrat Oscar "Omar" Dantzler from Tangipahoa Parish, also registered to run in August.
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