Election Day in Louisiana – Do You Have to Fill Out The Entire Ballot?

(KMDL-FM) Today is election day across the United States. Here in Louisiana, like every other state in the Union, we will be selecting members for the United States House of Representatives. We will also be choosing a new United States Senator in today's voting. It's after those two races many ballots will appear to get complicated.

Do You Have to Vote on Everything For Your Ballot to Count in Louisiana?

Today's ballot is not exceptionally long in most parishes, but there are 10 Constitutional Amendments you'll need to consider. For some voters, that might come across as a daunting task, and many of you have asked, " Can I just leave those blank?

A black stick figure with hands on head beside three colorful question marks

Depending on where you live in Louisiana, your ballot may or may not have other municipal offices or parish office seats that need to be filled. You can visit GEAUX VOTE.com to get a sample ballot for your exact voting location.

The Department of Justice is sending federal election observers to monitor voting in Lafayette, Orleans, and East Baton Rouge Parishes in today's election. Having a federal observer at a polling place is not uncommon. It was not revealed why those three parishes were singled out for observation.

Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

The biggest bottleneck at the ballot box today will be the constitutional amendments. There are 10 of them to consider. We encourage you to pre-read and get familiar with these proposals. Oftentimes, the language used in the amendments is difficult for people who don't work with legal terms to understand.

READ MORE: Understanding Today's Constitutional Amendments on the Ballot

There are also several non-partisan websites that offer an explanation of each amendment in layman's terms. The PAR, Public Affairs Research Council, does a nice job of explaining what a "yes" vote will mean and what a "no" vote will mean for each amendment. Here is another site offering explanations on the proposed amendments.

Louisiana Law Takes a Clear Stand on Complete and Incomplete Ballots

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Now, about the "Can I just leave part of my ballot incomplete and still have the rest of it count"? In the eyes of the law in Louisiana, that is perfectly acceptable. You still need to go through the process on your voting machine to "complete" your ballot, but there is no harm in leaving candidate races or issue elections blank when casting your ballot.

READ MORE: Post Office Confirms Closure for Two Dates in November

We don't encourage that kind of action. You're already there; why not take a minute and get up to speed on the events you're being asked to vote on? After all, it's your future. And unlike election days of years past, you can buy a drink ot help you cope with the results of the voting. If you're drinking, here's where we suggest you go.