2026 Midterms State GuideLouisiana
Hold on to your crawfish and beignets.
- PrimaryStatewideMay 16This date has passed.
- RunoffIf neededJune 27This date has passed.
- Election DayGeneralNov. 3
Updated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you, the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your crawfish and beignets, and let’s get into it.
Louisiana at a glance
Louisiana votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for U.S. Senate, all 6 U.S. House seats and 10 statewide ballot measures.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 5: In-person or mail voter registration deadline
- U.S. Senate
- 2 candidates
- U.S. House
- 6 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- 10
Your to-do list
0 of 3 doneImportant dates
- Sept. 19Absentee ballots must be available and distributed to military and overseas voters This date has passed.
- Oct. 5In-person or mail voter registration deadline
- Oct. 13Online voter registration deadline online
- Oct. 30Absentee ballot request deadline.
- Nov. 2Absentee ballot return deadline
- Nov. 3Election Day
- Dec. 12Majority-vote system, second round (if needed)
What’s at stake
Louisianans are voting under a new map this year, one that was sent all the way up to SCOTUS where it received a ruling that changed the landscape of redistricting. As such, it’s received outsized attention this cycle despite not being a competitive state. State voter concerns trend the same as national voter concerns. A 2026 Pelican Pulse poll found that Louisianans are overwhelmingly concerned about cost of living and inflation. 40% named it as the issue in most need of addressing in their community, followed by the economy (18%), crime and policing (11%), and healthcare (11%). 78% feel state government and policies are responsible for rising utility costs, 68% believe the government collects and spends too much money, and 7 in 10 want school choice.
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
- Get to know ’em
Jamie DavisDemocrat
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
This year, Louisiana is debuting some
new levee linesdistrict boundaries, making it one of nine states to feature a new Congressional map in 2026.- Shadrach’s big picture
Louisiana has six House seats. Under the new map Republicans are expected to hold five of those seats (up from four under the old map).
- Open seats
Two. District five’s incumbent, Rep. Julia Letlow (R), ran for U.S. Senate and Rep. Cleo Fields (D-6) ran for the Louisiana Legislature.
- The redistricting effect
Voters from LA-6 were packed into LA-2, keeping the second district solidly Democrat but flipping the sixth district seat from solidly Democrat to solidly Republican.
- Competitive districts
Cook doesn’t rank any Louisiana district as competitive (LA-2 solidly Democrat and the rest solidly Republican), and candidates in both parties filed to run in all six districts, so no district is guaranteed to either party.
Statewide ballot measures
10 to read before you go. Tap one to open it.
This amendment would allow the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran to transfer the homestead property tax exemption one time to a new homestead.
Voting yessupports letting the surviving spouse of a disabled veteran move the homestead property tax exemption to a new home, one time.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, keeping the exemption tied to the current homestead, with no one-time transfer to a new home.This amendment would allow local taxing bodies more flexibility to raise property taxes, without needing a new voter-approved property tax rate, as long as they stay within the state's constitutional limits.
Voting yessupports letting local taxing bodies raise property taxes without a new voter-approved rate, as long as they stay within the state’s constitutional limits.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, so local taxing bodies still need voters to approve a new rate before raising property taxes.This amendment would not allow defendants to post bail after a conviction IF they are convicted of an aggravated offense against a minor.
Voting yessupports denying bail after conviction to defendants convicted of an aggravated offense against a minor.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, keeping post-conviction bail available to these defendants under the current rules.This amendment would change how often governors can run. Right now, a former governor can serve two terms, sit out one term, and run again. This amendment would change it to a permanent, lifetime maximum of two terms total.
Voting yessupports limiting governors to a lifetime maximum of two terms total.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, keeping the current rule, where a former governor can serve two terms, sit out one term, and run again.When the state has extra one-time money to put toward public employee and teacher pensions, current law says it has to go toward the state's oldest unpaid pension debt first. This amendment would remove that rule, giving the state flexibility to direct the money toward whichever pension debt it decides is the priority.
Voting yessupports removing the rule that extra one-time pension money must pay the state’s oldest unpaid pension debt first, letting the state choose which pension debt to pay down.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, keeping the rule that extra one-time pension money goes to the state’s oldest unpaid pension debt first.This amendment would let individual parishes and cities (if their own voters separately approve it in a local election) offer homeowners 65 and older an extra property tax exemption on top of what they already get. The amount would grow with age, up to an extra $30,000 exempted at 81 and older. It would only apply to homeowners who already qualify for the homestead exemption and the state's existing senior income-based tax freeze, and a surviving spouse could keep the benefit under certain conditions.
Voting yessupports letting parishes and cities, with their own voters’ approval, offer homeowners 65 and older an extra property tax exemption that grows with age, up to an extra $30,000 at 81 and older.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, keeping seniors’ property tax exemptions as they are today, with no local option to add more.This amendment would allow local governments to use public funds for the maintenance of drinking water utility services lines affected by hazardous materials on property owned by utility customers.
Voting yessupports letting local governments use public funds to maintain drinking water service lines affected by hazardous materials on customers’ property.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, leaving local governments without the power to spend public funds on those service lines on customers’ property.Louisiana law already bans a short list of hostile foreign governments and their agents from buying property in the state. This amendment closes a related gap: right now, a private entity can seize someone's property (eminent domain) only if it's for a public purpose and the owner is paid fairly, but nothing stops one of those foreign adversaries from doing so. The amendment would add a flat ban on top of the existing rule. Those governments or their agents couldn't use eminent domain to take property in LA at all, no matter the purpose or payment offered.
Voting yessupports banning the hostile foreign governments already barred from buying Louisiana property, and their agents, from using eminent domain to take property in the state, no matter the purpose or payment offered.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, keeping only the existing rule (a public purpose and fair payment), with no flat ban on foreign adversaries using eminent domain.This amendment would make more homeowners eligible for a property tax freeze, a provision that prevents your tax bill from rising even as your home's value does. Currently, the income limit to qualify is $100,000; this amendment would raise it to $150,000, and local governments would be prohibited from passing the resulting revenue loss on to other taxpayers effective 2028.
Voting yessupports raising the income limit for the property tax freeze from $100,000 to $150,000, and barring local governments from passing the lost revenue on to other taxpayers starting in 2028.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, keeping the current threshold of $100,000This amendment would allow local governments to give a tax exemption for derelict or blighted property, as defined by the state legislature, that has been rehabilitated.
Voting yessupports letting local governments give a tax exemption for derelict or blighted property that has been rehabilitated.Voting noopposes this constitutional amendment, leaving local governments without the power to offer that exemption.
Also on the ballot
Other races Louisiana voters will decide.
- Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (1 seat)
- Public Service Commission (2 seats)
- Special state legislative
- State Supreme Court
- Intermediate appellate courts
- School boards
- Municipal government
- Local ballot measures
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
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From the newsroom
How TPO has covered Louisiana this cycle. Tap one to read it here.
Senator Bill Cassidy lost his reelection bid Saturday, finishing third behind Trump-backed challenger Rep. Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming in Louisiana’s Republican primary. Cassidy, one of seven GOP Senators who voted to convict President Trump in his second impeachment trial, thanked supporters, saying sometimes democracy “doesn’t turn out the way you want.” Letlow and Fleming face a June 27 runoff.
One story from that day’s newsletter.
Read the full day’s news- May 11Louisiana considers new congressional map
- May 1Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana’s congressional map
A prayer for Louisiana
Father of all, we lift up Louisiana as election day nears. Even in their deep divisions, draw near to voters and unite them in the things that matter most. Give them unconditional love for neighbors of all backgrounds. Teach them to prioritize the good of their communities and the glory of Your name above all. May they cast their votes with humble conviction and hold the outcome with open hands.
Shield candidates from the temptation to win at any cost. May they lead their parishes with humility and remember that the people they seek to represent belong to You before they belong to any party. If they win, surround them with wise counsel and guide them toward decisions that serve their constituents. For those who lose, may they do so with dignity and a unifying spirit.
Guard the hearts and minds of those weighed down by noise, grieved by division, or afraid of tomorrow. For You are not shaken by elections, You govern governors, and Your kingdom will not be moved.
Amen.