Louisiana's runoff election is on Saturday, December 12, 2026, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State's election dates page. The state does not label it a runoff on its calendar. Louisiana calls the first round of an open election the primary and the run-off between the top two candidates the general election, as the Secretary of State's types of elections page explains.
Dates and deadlines for the December 12 election
Every date below is from the Secretary of State's election dates page, and the dates match the office's 2026 elections calendar.
| Step | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Register in person, by mail or at an OMV office | November 12, 2026 | |
| Register online through GeauxVote | November 21, 2026 | |
| Early voting begins | November 28, 2026 | 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Early voting ends | December 5, 2026 | 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Request an absentee ballot | December 8, 2026 | By 4:30 p.m. |
| Registrar receives the voted absentee ballot | December 11, 2026 | By 4:30 p.m. |
| Election day | December 12, 2026 | 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
There is no early voting on Sunday, November 29. The two absentee deadlines do not apply to military and overseas voters, who are listed as exceptions on the same page.
What the state calls this election
The 2026 elections calendar, which is marked as revised in July 2026, lists the December 12 election as an "Open U.S. Representative General/Open General/Special Primary". The special primary is for the 14th State Senatorial District in East Baton Rouge Parish only.
The first round was scheduled for November 3, 2026, which the same calendar lists as a "U.S. Senate General/Open U.S. Representative Primary/Open Primary". On that calendar, December 12 is the general election for U.S. Representative and other open primary offices, while November 3 was already the general election for the U.S. Senate.
How a Louisiana run-off works
In an open primary, any qualified elector may qualify as a candidate regardless of party, according to the Secretary of State's types of elections page. If no candidate wins a majority in the primary, the top two candidates go to a run-off, which the state calls a general election.
The U.S. House races followed that open system in 2026. The calendar notes that under Act 7 of the 2026 Regular Session, U.S. Representative is no longer treated as a closed party office for the November and December election cycle. For the wider picture in Washington, see when the new Congress starts and which party controls Congress.
The calendar also carries a notice that dates are subject to change by the Legislature.