Title 18, Louisiana Election Code
0 chapters · 591 sections in this title.
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:434 Commissioners and alternate commissioners; selection; commission; disqualification;
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§434. Commissioners and alternate commissioners; selection; commission; disqualification; replacement A. Meeting to conduct selection. (1) The parish board of election supervisors shall meet on the second day after the close of the registration records provided in R.S. 18:135(A) …
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:435 Watchers; appointment and commission
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§435. Watchers; appointment and commission A.(1)(a) Each candidate is entitled to have one watcher at every precinct on election day where the office he seeks is voted on in a primary or general election. The candidate or his authorized representative shall file one list of watch…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:436 Election officials at certain special elections
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§436. Election officials at certain special elections A. When a special primary election to fill a vacancy or an anticipated vacancy in elective public office is called to be held at the same time as a previously scheduled general election, or if a previously scheduled election i…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:44 Contesting election; referral for prosecution
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§44. Contesting election; referral for prosecution A. Whenever the board determines as a result of an investigation that violations of law, irregularities, error, or fraud have occurred in the conduct of an election which, in the judgment of the board, has resulted in the apparen…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:441 Recognition
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§441. Recognition A. A political party shall be recognized in this state pursuant to the provisions of Subsection B or C of this Section. B.(1) A political party shall be recognized if ninety days prior to the opening of the qualifying period for any election at least five thousa…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:442 Organization
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§442. Organization A recognized political party shall be controlled and directed by one state central committee and a parish executive committee for each parish. Acts 1976, No. 697, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 1978.
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:443 State central committee
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§443. State central committee A. A member of the state central committee of a recognized political party shall meet the qualifications established by the rules and regulations of the state central committee of that recognized political party. B.(1) All members of the state centra…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:443.1 State central committee; composition and apportionment
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§443.1. State central committee; composition and apportionment A.(1) The membership of the state central committee of a recognized political party shall be composed of two hundred ten members. (2) Two members shall be elected from each of the districts from which members of the H…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:443.2 Alternate method; election; composition and apportionment
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§443.2. Alternate method; election; composition and apportionment Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, a state central committee of a recognized political party may choose to be established, composed, apportioned, and elected as follows: (1) All members of any su…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:444 Parish executive committees
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§444. Parish executive committees A. Qualifications of members. A member of a parish executive committee of a recognized political party shall meet the qualifications established by the rules and regulations of the state central committee of that recognized political party. The q…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:445 Parish executive committees; formation in parishes where no committee has been
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§445. Parish executive committees; formation in parishes where no committee has been elected A. Call for formation. (1) In a parish where a parish executive committee of a recognized political party has not been elected, fifteen or more qualified voters who are registered in the …
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:445.1 Political party committees; election
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§445.1. Political party committees; election Notwithstanding any other provision in this Part, if the presidential preference primary is repealed, all elections for members of a state central committee or a parish executive committee of a recognized political party shall occur at…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:446 Candidates for membership on political party committees; method of qualifying for a primary election
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§446. Candidates for membership on political party committees; method of qualifying for a primary election A. Candidates for membership on a political party committee are not classified as local candidates. However, a person who desires to become a candidate for membership on a p…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:447 Parish executive committees; fundraising
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§447. Parish executive committees; fundraising A. A parish executive committee of a political party may accept donations, conduct fundraising activities, and accept funds from such activities for the purpose of funding the operation of the committee, in addition to collecting the…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:448 Vacancies in the state central committee or parish executive committee of a
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§448. Vacancies in the state central committee or parish executive committee of a recognized political party A. A vacancy in the membership of the state central committee shall be filled as follows: (1) For membership elected pursuant to R.S. 18:443, the chairman of the state cen…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:45 Limitations on powers and duties of board
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§45. Limitations on powers and duties of board A. The provisions of R.S. 18:43 and 44 shall be applicable only to elections for the office of governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, attorney general, commissioner of agriculture, commissioner of insuran…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:451 Qualifications of candidates
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§451. Qualifications of candidates A person who meets the qualifications for the office he seeks may become a candidate and be voted on in a primary or general election if he qualifies as a candidate in the election. Except as otherwise provided by law, a candidate shall possess …
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:451.1 Local ordinances affecting the qualifications of candidates
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§451.1. Local ordinances affecting the qualifications of candidates Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no ordinance of a local governing authority affecting the qualifications of a candidate for an office shall become effective until such ordinance has be…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:451.2 Qualifications of candidates for sheriff, tax assessor, and clerk of court
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§451.2. Qualifications of candidates for sheriff, tax assessor, and clerk of court At the time he files his notice of candidacy, a candidate for sheriff, tax assessor, or clerk of court shall have resided in the state for the preceding two years and shall have been actually domic…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:451.3 Displaced persons seeking to qualify; domicile, residence
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§451.3. Displaced persons seeking to qualify; domicile, residence If the qualifications for an office include a residency or domiciliary requirement, any person who is seeking election to such office and who has been involuntarily displaced from his residence or domicile by the e…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:452 Classification of candidates
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§452. Classification of candidates Candidates are classified according to the character of the office they seek and are designated as follows: (1) State candidates are candidates for offices voted on throughout the state or throughout a congressional district, justice of the supr…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:453 Dual candidacy
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§453. Dual candidacy A. General prohibitions. (1) A person shall not become a candidate in a primary or general election for more than one office unless one of the offices is membership on a political party committee, nor shall a person be a candidate at the same time for two or …
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:454 Campaign Sign Recycling Fund
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§454. Campaign Sign Recycling Fund A. There is hereby established in the state treasury, as a special fund, the Campaign Sign Recycling Fund, hereinafter referred to in this Section as the "fund". B.(1) After allocation of money to the Bond Security and Redemption Fund as provide…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:46 Annual reports
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§46. Annual reports The board may report to the legislature any findings, observations, or recommendations concerning elections in this state which it determines, in the course of its investigations or otherwise, should be brought to the attention of the legislature. Such reports…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:461 Manner of qualifying
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§461. Manner of qualifying A.(1) A person who desires to become a candidate in a primary election shall qualify as a candidate by timely filing notice of his candidacy, which shall be accompanied either by a nominating petition or by the qualifying fee and any additional fee impo…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:461.1 Ethics education requirement; certification for ethics education
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§461.1. Ethics education requirement; certification for ethics education A. Any person who becomes a candidate for statewide elective office or the office of state representative or state senator shall be required to obtain at least one hour of ethics education and training in th…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:462 Officials with whom candidates qualify
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§462. Officials with whom candidates qualify A. State candidates shall qualify for a primary election with the secretary of state or a person in his office designated to receive qualifying papers. B. Local and municipal candidates shall qualify for a primary election with the cle…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:463 Notice of candidacy; campaign finance disclosure; political advertising; penalties
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§463. Notice of candidacy; campaign finance disclosure; political advertising; penalties A.(1)(a) A notice of candidacy shall be in writing and shall state the candidate's name, the office he seeks, the address of his domicile, his telephone number, his electronic mail address, a…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:464 Qualifying fees; additional fees imposed by political party committees; financial
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§464. Qualifying fees; additional fees imposed by political party committees; financial statements A. Method of payment. The qualifying fee shall be paid to the official with whom the candidate qualifies and shall accompany the notice of candidacy. The qualifying fee shall be pai…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:465 Nominating petitions
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§465. Nominating petitions A. Time and place of filing. A nominating petition shall be filed with the official with whom the candidate qualifies and shall accompany the notice of candidacy. B. Method of nominating candidates. A person may only be nominated as a candidate in a pri…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:466 Time for qualifying in a primary election
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§466. Time for qualifying in a primary election A notice of candidacy, accompanied either by the qualifying fee or by a nominating petition, is filed timely only if received by the secretary of state, for state candidates, or by the clerk of court, for local or municipal candidat…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:467 Opening of qualifying period
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§467. Opening of qualifying period A. Except as otherwise provided in Part I-A of this Chapter, the qualifying period for candidates in a primary election shall open: (1) For candidates in a fall primary election in a gubernatorial election year and those in any special primary e…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:467.1 1 Repealed by Acts 2024, No
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§467.1 Repealed by Acts 2024, No. 640, §3, eff. Jan. 1, 2026.
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:467.2 Repealed by Acts 2020, No
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§467.2. Repealed by Acts 2020, No. 28, §5, eff. Dec. 31, 2020.
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:468 Close of the qualifying period
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§468. Close of the qualifying period A. The qualifying period for candidates in a primary election shall close at 4:30 p.m. on the Friday after the opening of the qualifying period for candidates in the primary election or, if that Friday is a legal holiday, at 4:30 p.m. on the n…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:469 Reopening of qualifying period; effect
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§469. Reopening of qualifying period; effect A. When a person who qualified as a candidate and has opposition in a primary election for a public office dies after the close of the qualifying period and before the time for closing the polls on the day of the primary election, the …
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:47 Staff; assistance to board
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§47. Staff; assistance to board A. The board may employ an executive director. The executive director shall serve as secretary to the board. The board may employ such other staff as it deems necessary or appropriate. It may employ staff on a full-time or part-time basis and may p…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:470 Disposition of notices of candidacy; qualifying fees; nomination petitions
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§470. Disposition of notices of candidacy; qualifying fees; nomination petitions A. Notices of candidacy. (1) Upon receipt and acceptance of a notice of candidacy that meets the requirements of R.S. 18:463, the secretary of state or the clerk of court, as the case may be, shall e…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:470.1 List of candidates
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§470.1. List of candidates The secretary of state shall furnish the Supervisory Committee, Campaign Finance Disclosure Act, an alphabetical listing of the candidates for each of the offices to be voted on in each election. For a primary election, the list shall be furnished no la…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:471 Acts performed with or by clerk of court
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§471. Acts performed with or by clerk of court Wherever in this Code any act is required to be performed with or by the clerk of court, such act shall be performed in the office of the clerk and may be performed by or with the clerk of court or any deputy clerk employed by him de…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:481 Candidates who qualify for a general election
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§481. Candidates who qualify for a general election Except for candidates for a party primary office, the candidates who qualify for each office remaining to be filled in the general election are those who received the two highest numbers of votes, the four highest number of vote…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:482 Number of candidates who may qualify for a general election
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§482. Number of candidates who may qualify for a general election Except in the case of a tie vote, the number of candidates for an office who may qualify for the general election is twice the number of persons remaining to be elected to the office. Acts 1976, No. 697, §1, eff. J…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:483 Effect of tie vote in a primary election
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§483. Effect of tie vote in a primary election If, as a result of a tie vote in a primary election, the number of candidates who would qualify for the general election is more than twice the number of persons remaining to be elected to the office, all of the candidates who receiv…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:49.1 Division of election integrity; powers and duties
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§49.1. Division of election integrity; powers and duties A. The division of election integrity is created in the Department of State. The purposes of the division shall be to: (1) Initiate independent inquiries and conduct independent investigations into allegations of election i…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:491 Standing to object to candidacy
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§491. Standing to object to candidacy A. A registered voter may bring an action objecting to the candidacy of a person who qualified as a candidate in a primary election for an office for which the plaintiff is qualified to vote. B. A registered voter may present evidence that a …
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:492 Grounds for an objection to candidacy
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§492. Grounds for an objection to candidacy A. An action objecting to the candidacy of a person who qualified as a candidate in a primary election shall be based on one or more of the following grounds: (1) The defendant failed to qualify for the primary election in the manner pr…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:493 Time for objecting to candidacy
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§493. Time for objecting to candidacy A. An action objecting to candidacy shall be commenced in a court of competent jurisdiction within seven days after the close of qualifications for candidates in the primary election. However, if the time interval ends on a Saturday, Sunday, …
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:494 Effect of sustaining an objection to candidacy
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§494. Effect of sustaining an objection to candidacy A. Disqualification. Except as provided in Subsection B of this Section, when an objection to candidacy is sustained on any of the grounds provided for in R.S. 18:492, the final judgment shall disqualify the defendant as a cand…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:495 Initiation of action by district attorney; attorney general; court costs and attorney fees
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§495. Initiation of action by district attorney; attorney general; court costs and attorney fees A. If after investigation the district attorney has reason to believe that a convicted felon who is prohibited from qualifying for office pursuant to R.S. 18:451 has filed a notice of…
La. Rev. Stat. § 18:501 Procedure for withdrawal
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§501. Procedure for withdrawal A.(1)(a) A candidate in a primary election may withdraw from the election by filing notice of his withdrawal with the secretary of state prior to 4:30 p.m. on the seventh day after the close of the qualifying period. (b) A candidate in a first party…