All voters have the right to vote free of intimidation, including from law enforcement, military, and federal agents.
It is illegal for anyone to try to or actually intimidate, threaten, or coerce someone who is voting or trying to vote, or someone who is helping a person to vote. By law, members of the military, state and local law enforcement, and federal agents, including ICE, may not intimidate or prevent a qualified voter from voting through force, threat, or other action. It doesn’t matter if the intimidation was deliberate, as long as the voter, or the voter’s helper, felt intimidated.
Beyond the federal laws against intimidation, it is also illegal for any person in the U.S. civil, military, or naval service to order troops or armed federal agents to any place where an election is held. By law, officers of the U.S. military may not interfere with the freedom of any election or the exercise of the right to vote in any state.
All voters have the right not to be discriminated against based on race, national origin, or disability.
All voters who need assistance because of a disability or inability to read and write in the language of the ballot may choose someone to help them to vote, as long as the person is not an agent/representative of the voter’s employer or union.
If you have questions or need assistance on-site, the best person to speak to is a local election worker. Poll workers are members of your community, and work for the municipal or county government rather than the federal government.
If you observe violations of these rules, call 866-OUR-VOTE, the Election Protection Hotline! You can even report anonymously. If you are voting in person, and you feel comfortable doing so, you can quietly report your concerns to an on-site poll worker. Do not approach, speak to, or engage a law enforcement officer.
A qualified voter in your county, election commissioner, or poll watcher, is allowed to challenge your right to vote. You can only be challenged on the following grounds:
The poll worker will ask you to present your ID and tell them your full name and address. If you do not have photo ID, the election officer may ask additional questions and ask you to complete an affidavit, including your birthdate and your mother’s maiden name or other information that is on the precinct register.
Attempt to inform another poll worker or the Commissioner-In-Charge of your issue. If this does not resolve the issue, call Election Protection.
There is technically no prohibition on photos inside or outside the polling place. But no one can take a photo of a cast ballot. If you are having an issue, tell a poll worker or the Commissioner-In-Charge. If that does not resolve the issue, call Election Protection.
The Commissioner-In-Charge determines who is allowed inside the polling place. No campaigning is allowed within 600 feet of the polling place.
Speak to the Commissioner-In-Charge. They have the authority to maintain order at the polling place. If that does not resolve the issue, call Election Protection.
Voters are entitled to assistance if they are unable to read or unable to vote without assistance because of a physical disability. If a voter has a disability that requires assistance to vote, the voter may bring a person of their choice to help them vote. The person providing assistance may not be a candidate for office, the voter’s union representative, employer, or the Commissioner-In-Charge.
Any voter who has a visible physical disability or who presents a mobility-impaired identification card, along with the person assisting them, must be allowed to go to the front of the line to cast a ballot.
Fair Elections Center and its Campus Vote Project intend the information contained herein to be used only as a general guide. This document should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Louisiana legal professional. Updated August 2026.