An Early Voting Success Story – And A Call to Action

How Louisiana Voters Can Be Part of History This October

By Victoria (Tori) Wenger
Black Voters on the Rise Attorney

During this critical election cycle, it’s imperative that all voters make a plan to cast their ballots. And because of a multi-year, multi-tactic effort to expand early voting opportunities spearheaded by the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) and its partners, in 2024 Louisiana voters will have more agency than ever to make a voting plan that works for them. It’s critical that Louisianans seize on this opportunity to head to the polls and make their voices heard, both to exercise their fundamental right and guard against any attempts to suppress their political power.

Advocacy in the Courts

The journey to expanded early voting in Louisiana started with a lawsuit. In 2020, LDF represented the NAACP Louisiana State Conference, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, and individual voters in a lawsuit calling for extra protections for voters with elevated health risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a fast-tracked ruling, the federal court in Harding v. Edwards ordered that the state provide both expanded qualifications for absentee voting by mail and three extra days of early in-person voting — extending the standard seven days of early voting in Louisiana to a total of 10 that year.

Impact at the Polls

What Louisianans witnessed on those first few days of early voting in 2020 was record-breaking. The first day of early voting marked its highest turnout in Louisiana history. Ultimately, hundreds of thousands of Louisiana voters would cast their ballots before Election Day, seizing the extended opportunity to vote early and exercising more agency in choosing when to cast their ballots in person. During the height of the pandemic, this flexibility allowed voters to prioritize their health by avoiding long lines and congestion at polling sites. It also allowed working voters, parents, and caretakers — and anyone balancing competing demands on voting days — to vote with ease on a timeline that fit their schedules and responsibilities.

Notably, it also meant that any voters who participated early got to the polls before Hurricane Zeta — the strongest hurricane to ever directly hit New Orleans  made landfall just after the final day of early voting in 2020. That deadly storm left hundreds of thousands without power just days before the election. Expanded early voting helped mitigate the storm’s impact on election access. This example highlights exactly how offering early voting can help states ease the challenges, like weather events, tech malfunctions, long lines, or rare but troubling voter intimidation threats, that can arise when voting is isolated to a single day.

A Legislative Strategy

Following the 2020 election, organizers and civic leaders in Louisiana recognized the positive impact of expanded early voting opportunities. But, as the court’s order — which was only valid for the 2020 election — expired, they had to shift to legislative advocacy to sustain any lasting impact. LDF partnered with Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, one of the organizational plaintiffs in Harding v. Edwards, to draft legislation. In March 2021, State Representative Fred Jones filed HB 286, a bill to permanently extend early voting days in Louisiana. Lawmakers across the state and across the aisle could not ignore how beneficial expanded early voting had been for the hundreds of thousands of their constituents who had cast ballots in person before Election Day. Legislators ultimately came together around a version of the bill that would repeat the same extension of three additional early voting days in future general election cycles, reaching a total of ten early voting days. HB 286 moved with resounding support through the legislature, passing unanimously in the Senate and reaching the governor’s desk to be signed into law as Louisiana Act No. 365 of 2021.

Seizing the Opportunity

Now, fast forward to 2024. Louisiana voters have an opportunity to fulfill the vision of Act 365 by exercising their right to vote early this October. Any voter across the state can cast a ballot beginning on Oct. 18, 2024 and continuing all the way through Oct. 29, 2024, excluding Sundays. This ten-day period reflects the combined legacy of Harding v. Edwards and the passage of Act 365 in action.

However, at the same time, it’s a sobering reality that Louisiana is also one of the dozens of states that has passed measures to make voting access more difficult in recent years. And ongoing fights to further expand early voting sites and opportunities have not been without setbacks. But, because of the unrelenting work of organizers, advocates, and lawmakers committed to fighting for a more accessible democracy, Louisiana is at the same time one of the states that has taken some steps to expand voting opportunities as well. Indeed, to win the fight against voter suppression, we must seize the opportunities provided by these proactive advancements just as eagerly as we fight back against tactics of regression — in the courts, in our legislatures, and at the polls. Act 365 exemplifies how when we litigate, legislate, and organize, change can happen.

This election season, Louisiana voters have an opportunity to carry out the promise of Act 365 and send a message about the importance of sustained, multi-tactic advocacy for voting rights. So, Louisiana, this is your call to action: Geaux vote early.

Early voting in Louisiana runs from Oct.18-Oct. 29, 2024 (excluding Sundays) from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at parish registrar of voters’ offices and select other locations. Voters can find early voting sites at bit.ly/GeauxVoteEarly .

Published: October 15, 2024

LDF Senior Policy Counsel Jared Evans outside of a Louisiana polling place on Election Day on Nov. 8, 2022. (Photo by Keecee DeVenny, LDF)

Louisiana Early Voting Countdown

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

Early voting runs from Oct. 18 - Oct. 29.

More Voter Resources

Voter Resources

LDF works to protect voting rights and support Black political engagement. Through community-centered advocacy, we are fighting back. Find state-specific voting information about deadlines, polling places, registration information, and more.

LDF Original Content

Information about local elections and candidates can be hard to find. Our research guide helps you find the information about candidates and issues on the ballot in your communities that you need to be prepared to vote.

Voter Resources

Our state, municipal, and county-level elected officials make a wide range of decisions that shape our communities. We’ve compiled an index of some of the major elected positions in state and local government and their functions.

Voter Resources

Find information about deadlines, polling places, registration, absentee voting, and positions on the ballot in Louisiana before casting your ballot.

LDF Original Content

The Black Voters on the Rise initiative works to support Black political engagement by advancing Black voters’ rights and the promise of a free and fair democracy throughout the full life cycle of the democratic process.

LDF Original Content

We created the following list of key election issues that inform the path forward to 2024 — and also identified opportunities for proactive advocacy so you can prepare to cast your ballots.

LDF Report

Democracy Defended incorporates data points, key takeaways, and observations from elections in LDF’s target states in 2022 to help civil rights advocates engage strategically to support voters.

Shares