Louisiana 2027 Election Calendar for Parish and State Candidates

Louisiana's fall 2027 primary is on Saturday, October 9, 2027, and the general election is on Saturday, November 20, 2027. Candidates for parish offices and for the Legislature qualify with the clerk of court in the parish where they are registered to vote, from Tuesday, August 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 5, 2027. A candidate who would rather file a nominating petition than pay the qualifying fee may collect signatures from Monday, April 5, 2027 and must submit the petition to the registrar of voters by Tuesday, July 6, 2027.

The fall ballot carries the governor and the other statewide elected officers, the members of the Legislature and, in most parishes, the sheriff, clerk of court, assessor, coroner and members of the parish governing authority (the police jury or, in a home rule parish, the body its charter sets up, such as a parish council and parish president). Two spring elections come first: Saturday, April 17 and Saturday, May 29, 2027, for towns that elect their officers in the spring and for the party primaries for the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE).

This page lists the 2027 dates in order. The election, registration, early voting and petition dates come from the Louisiana Secretary of State's schedule of 2027 elections, revised in October 2026, which notes that dates are subject to change by the Legislature. Dates marked "based on state law" are ones we worked out from the Louisiana Revised Statutes (R.S.), so confirm every date with your parish clerk of court or registrar of voters before you plan around it.

For the full process of getting on the ballot, start with our guide to running for local office in Louisiana.

Why the fall dates are October 9 and November 20

State law places the fall primary in a governor's election year on the third to last Saturday in October, with the general election six Saturdays later (R.S. 18:402(B)(2)). In 2027 that would put the general election on November 27, which is one of the three days after Thanksgiving, when no election may be held. The law moves a fall election that lands on such a day one week earlier, and moves the primary earlier by the same number of weeks (R.S. 18:402(A)). The Secretary of State's calendar shows the result: October 9 and November 20, 2027, both "advanced one week in accordance with R.S. 18:402(A)."

Before qualifying: November and December 2026

Sunday, November 15, 2026, if you plan to text. Campaign Verify, the check that political campaigns need before texting from a registered number, sets its cycle by request date. A request made before November 15 expires on Sunday, January 31, 2027. A request made on or after November 15 lasts until Wednesday, January 31, 2029, which covers both fall 2027 elections. The texting section below explains the steps.

Wednesday, December 16, 2026, for BESE only. BESE members are chosen through closed party primaries. A BESE candidate who is not affiliated with the Democratic or Republican party reaches the October 9 general election ballot by nominating petition, and the Secretary of State's calendar lists December 16, 2026 as the deadline to submit that petition to the registrar of voters.

January 2027: spring qualifying

Wednesday, January 13 to Friday, January 15, 2027. Qualifying for the April 17 elections. This covers municipal and ward officers elected in the spring of a governor's election year, and candidates in the BESE party primaries. If you are running for a town office, ask your parish clerk of court whether your town votes in the spring or in the fall.

April and May 2027: petitions open and the spring elections

Monday, April 5, 2027. First day to collect signatures on a nominating petition for the October 9 primary. Signatures may be gathered no more than 120 days before qualifying opens (R.S. 18:465(B)), and the Secretary of State's calendar lists April 5. Signatures dated earlier do not count.

Saturday, April 17, 2027. Spring municipal primary and BESE party primary. Early voting for this election runs from Saturday, April 3 to Saturday, April 10.

Saturday, May 29, 2027. Spring municipal general election and, where needed, the BESE second party primary.

July 2027: the petition deadline

Tuesday, July 6, 2027. Last day to submit a nominating petition to the registrar of voters in each parish where your signers live. The law sets this at no less than 30 days before qualifying ends (R.S. 18:465(E)), and the Secretary of State's calendar lists July 6. The registrar certifies how many signers are registered to vote on the office and signed on time, and returns the original pages, which you file with your notice of candidacy during qualifying. Our guide on qualifying for office in Louisiana by fee or nominating petition explains both routes.

August 2027: qualifying

Tuesday, August 3 to Thursday, August 5, 2027, closing at 4:30 p.m. Qualifying for the October 9 primary. In a governor's election year, qualifying opens on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August (R.S. 18:467(A)(1)) and closes at 4:30 p.m. on the Thursday after it opens (R.S. 18:468(B)).

• Parish and legislative candidates qualify with the clerk of court in the parish where they are registered to vote (R.S. 18:462(B)). Ask the clerk's office for its qualifying hours.
• Statewide candidates qualify with the Secretary of State.
• What to bring: a notice of candidacy signed before a notary or two witnesses, a valid Louisiana driver's license or identification card, and either the qualifying fee or your certified nominating petition.

A notice of candidacy counts only if the qualifying official receives it during the qualifying period (R.S. 18:466). A mailed notice must arrive by 4:30 p.m. on August 5.

Thursday, August 12, 2027, 4:30 p.m., based on state law. Deadline to file a court action objecting to a candidacy, which is the seventh day after qualifying closes (R.S. 18:1405(A)). Keep copies of everything you filed.

September and October 2027: the primary

Wednesday, September 8, 2027. Deadline to register to vote in person or by mail for the October 9 primary.

Saturday, September 18, 2027. Deadline to register online through the Geaux Vote system.

Saturday, September 25 to Saturday, October 2, 2027. Early voting. During early voting, the registrar's office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday (R.S. 18:1309), so there is no early voting on Sunday, September 26. Registrars may also use alternate or branch locations, so check your parish's list.

Tuesday, October 5, 2027. Deadline to request a mail ballot from the registrar of voters (other than military and overseas voters).

Friday, October 8, 2027. Deadline for the registrar to receive a voted mail ballot (other than military and overseas voters).

Saturday, October 9, 2027. Primary election, and the general election for BESE. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (R.S. 18:541). A candidate who receives a majority of the votes cast for an office is elected (R.S. 18:511). Otherwise, the two candidates with the most votes for a single seat go on to the November 20 ballot (R.S. 18:481 and 18:482).

October and November 2027: the general election

Wednesday, October 20, 2027. Deadline to register in person or by mail for the November 20 general election.

Saturday, October 30, 2027. Deadline to register online.

Friday, November 5 to Saturday, November 13, 2027. Early voting. The Secretary of State's calendar starts it one day early because of the Veterans Day state holiday.

Tuesday, November 16, 2027. Deadline to request a mail ballot from the registrar of voters.

Friday, November 19, 2027. Deadline for the registrar to receive a voted mail ballot.

Saturday, November 20, 2027. General election. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The candidate with the most votes for each office is elected.

Offices that follow a different calendar

• Most school boards are not on the 2027 ballot. The Secretary of State's schedule lists their next election in 2026 for every parish except Orleans (2028) and Lafayette, which elects its school board in the governor's election year.
• Orleans Parish elects its parish and municipal officers on its own schedule (R.S. 18:402(D)(2)), so ask the Orleans Parish clerk of court for its dates.
• A few parish governing authorities, such as those of East Baton Rouge and Plaquemines parishes, are elected in other years.
• Town offices vary. Some towns vote in the spring and some in the fall, depending on when their terms end.

In the calendar: set up texting before early voting opens

Early voting opens on Saturday, September 25, 2027. Set up texting in the spring or early summer, so your reminders are ready.

1. Form your committee, then check that its filing is online. Campaign Verify costs $95 per two-year cycle. It needs a 527 committee (527 is the federal tax status of a political committee), an EIN (the committee's federal tax ID number) and a filing with an election authority that is published online. Candidates with no committee are not eligible. Check with the Louisiana Board of Ethics for any other filings, and confirm that your committee's filing can be viewed online before you request Campaign Verify. If it cannot, contact Campaign Verify Support first. Campaign Verify decides eligibility.
2. Open your CampaignCNX+ account. CampaignCNX+ files your registration with the carriers (the mobile phone companies), either as 10DLC (the registration for texting from a standard local-style number) or as toll-free. You buy the $95 Campaign Verify token from Campaign Verify, and CampaignCNX+ files it with your registration. 100 free SMS included. Your number is $5 a month.
3. Schedule your reminders. Write short texts for the online registration deadline (September 18), the first day of early voting (September 25) and primary day (October 9). Schedule them to the group of supporters who agreed in writing to receive your texts, and end each person's first message with "Reply STOP to opt out." Texts send only between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient's time zone.

Our campaign plan to the October 9, 2027 Louisiana primary turns these dates into a weekly schedule. For texting rules that apply to any campaign, see our page on political texting.

Put the dates on your calendar now

The petition window opens in April, qualifying lasts three days in August, and early voting begins two weeks before the primary. Mark these dates today and confirm them with your parish clerk of court. When you are ready to reach supporters by text, start a CampaignCNX+ trial.