NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION ACT (R.S. 18:114 - 116)  

National Voter Registration Act Pamphlet

The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) is a federal statute on voter registration which required implementation by January 1, 1995.  To comply with the federal mandate, the Louisiana legislature adopted ACt 10 of the Third Extraordinary Session of 1994.  Since states combine elections for federal and state offices, Louisiana opted to adopt a law which affected procedures for both federal and state offfices maintaining a single voter registration system. The Commissioner of Elections, located in the Department of State's office, was designated the chief election official to be responsible for the coordination of the state’s duties under the NVRA. 

The main intent of Act 10 is to make it easier for persons to participate in the electoral process by providing new and innovative ways to register to vote.  These programs not only bring new voters into the election process, but they also bring new people to the task of registration administration.  The people who directly perform the intake function of NVRA programs will be employees of driver licensing offices and other public agencies, as well as party workers and activists using mail registration applications in voter registration drives. 

Any eligible applicant may request and receive a Louisiana Mail Voter Registration Application Form, complete and sign it, and return it to the local registrar of voters. In addition to registering in the parish registrar's offices, voter registration is being offered in connection with a designated service at the following locations:

• Driver's license facilities
• Public assistance offices
  * Food stamp program
  * Medicaid program
  * Women, Infants, and Children programs
  * Family Independence Temporary Assistance
    (formerly Aid to Families with Dependent Children)
• Social services offices and other offices that provide state-funded programs primarily engaged in providing services to persons with disabilities
• Recruitment offices of the Armed Forces
• Public colleges, universities and high schools
• Private high schools, colleges and universities who have chosen to participate
• Municipalities who have chosen to participate

To register, you must: (R.S. 18:101)

• Be a United States citizen
• Be at least 17 years old but must be 18 years prior to the next election to vote
• Not be under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony
• Not be under judgment of interdiction for mental incompetence
• Not be under a full or limited legal suspension of voting rights
• Reside in the state and parish in which you seek to register

For additional information, please contact the Voter Registration at 1-800-883-2805 (outside Louisiana),1-800-825-3805 (Louisiana residents only) or (225) 922-0900 (in Baton Rouge).  Also, any parish  Registrar of Voters can be contacted.