The short version
Louisiana uses an open 'majority-vote' primary: every candidate for an office runs on one ballot regardless of party, and if no one wins a majority the top two advance to a runoff. You qualify by filing a Notice of Candidacy during the qualifying period.
- Offices you can run for
- Federal (U.S. House and Senate); statewide offices (Governor and other state officials); the Louisiana Senate and House; parish and municipal offices; and judicial seats.
- How to get on the ballot
- File a Notice of Candidacy with either the qualifying fee or a nominating petition. State candidates file with the Secretary of State; local candidates file with the parish clerk of court. The fee depends on the office and must be paid by cash, certified or cashier's check, or money order. An agent may file for you with an agent affidavit.
- Who runs candidate filing
- Louisiana Secretary of State — Elections Division800-883-2805
This is a plain-language overview, not legal advice. Filing deadlines and fees change every election cycle and vary by office; the official Louisiana resources below are the final word. When in doubt, the elections authority is right and we're wrong.
Find your Louisiana county
Every county runs its own filing office and its own local races. See all 64 Louisiana parishes, each with its election office, fees, deadlines and local facts.
The 2027 ballot in Louisiana.
These 2027 dates are confirmed against the state's own published calendar or statute. Anything our research could not confirm is left off this page rather than estimated.
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October 9, 2027
Primary — State and parish.
Open primary for all seven statewide offices (Governor through Commissioner of Insurance) and the entire Legislature -- 39 Senate and 105 House seats. Parish offices -- sheriff, clerk of court, assessor, coroner, and parish president, police jury or parish council -- are on the same ballot in every parish except Orleans, which elects its parish officers on a separate cycle.
Candidate filing: opens Aug 3, 2027, closes Aug 5, 2027.
Source 1 · Source 2 -
November 20, 2027
General — State and parish.
General election between the top two finishers in any October 9 race where no candidate won a majority.
Source 1 · Source 2
2027 dates can move, and a municipality can change its own election date by ordinance. Which seats are on a given ballot depends on when each was last filled. Confirm anything you are relying on with the county election office before you act on it.
Official Louisiana candidate resources
Start here for the exact deadlines, fees, forms, and signature counts for your office and cycle. Note: 2026 filing has closed in most states, so these resources govern the standing rules; check the official calendar for your next filing window.
Once you're on the ballot, Motion51 runs your field game.
Get your district's voter file loaded, cut into walkable turf, and onto an app your volunteers use at the door. Louisiana is fully available; see how to get your voter file.
Talk to us about your Louisiana race
Tell us what you're running for and we'll help you go from "qualified" to "knocking doors": voter file loaded, turf cut, volunteers set up.