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Election day in New Orleans: What to know

Election day in New Orleans: What to know

By Carlie Kollath Wells

Source: Axios

October 10, 2025

It’s go time for New Orleans voters — polls open Saturday for a high-stakes election that will reshape City Hall.

Why it matters: Residents will pick a new mayor, City Council members and other key leaders.

The big picture: Polls open Saturday from 7am to 8pm.

  • About 15% of Orleans Parish’s 263,000 registered voters turned out early, according to data from the Secretary of State’s office.
  • There’s not much on the ballot elsewhere in the metro, except mayoral races in Jean Lafitte and Slidell.
  • See your sample ballot.

The intrigue: If a candidate gets more than 50% of the vote Saturday, they win outright.

  • Otherwise, the top two candidates head into a runoff Nov. 15.

Orleans Parish races

🏢 Mayor: State Sen. Royce Duplessis, City Council Vice President Helena Moreno and City Councilmember Oliver Thomas are facing off for the most powerful position in the city.

  • Our guide to the candidates.

👥 City Council: Three seats are wide open since Moreno, Thomas and Joe Giarrusso won’t be back in January.

  • Lesli Harris is unopposed, but the other seats are hotly contested. Our guide to the races.

🗳️ Residents will also vote for sheriff, assessor and Orleans Parish Criminal Court clerk. Full primary guide.

Down the ballot

New Orleanians will vote whether to amend the city’s home rule charter, which is essentially the constitution of the city.

  • The charter has a bill of rights, which includes a list of banned reasons for discrimination (race, color, religion, sexual orientation, etc.).
  • The proposal, called the Fair Chance Amendment by supporters, would add conviction history to the list. Advocates say the change would help formerly incarcerated people get jobs. Go deeper.

What others say

Here’s how different groups are guiding voters:

  • Bureau of Governmental Research Q&As
  • In-depth candidate answers via Verite
  • The Times-Picayune endorsements
  • New Orleans Tribune endorsements
  • Committee for a Better New Orleans
  • Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center
  • Big Easy Budget Equity Ballot Guide
  • Voters Organized to Educate
  • Sample ballots from the Power Coalition

Partisan

  • Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee
  • Orleans Parish Republican Executive Committee
  • New Orleans Democratic Socialists of America endorsements
  • Antigravity voter guide
  • Blue Voter Guide with candidate endorsements

What’s next: See live results after the polls close.

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