Louisiana Voters Are Not Happy About the State's Move to Closed Primaries

an i voted sticker peeled up.
Photo by Mockup Free on Unsplash
Shawn GriffithsShawn Griffiths
Published: 19 Mar, 2025
3 min read

Closed primaries are coming to Louisiana in 2026, but a new poll shows that state voters across the political spectrum overwhelmingly favor open primaries where any voter can vote for any candidate running for office.

This is the system currently in place in Louisiana. The state does not conduct primary elections as most states think of them but holds a single election at or around the time of a standard general election.

All voters and candidates participate on a single ballot. Candidates that receive at least 50%+1 of the vote win the election outright. If no candidate receives a majority, then a runoff election between the top two candidates is scheduled.

Under a traditional partisan primary system, publicly funded and administered primary elections serve the private interest of the Republican and Democratic Parties by picking their nominees for the general election.

A nonpartisan election model serves a public interest. It is not about selecting party nominees at the expense of taxpayers, but electing candidates, regardless of party.

Louisiana uses a different nonpartisan election model than the Top Two system in California or the Top Four system in Alaska, which narrow the field of candidates ahead of the general election.

That being said, all nonpartisan election systems share a common principle: All voters and all candidates are treated equally.

However, in January 2024, the Louisiana Legislature -- at the behest of Governor Jeff Landry -- fast-tracked a bill that established closed partisan primaries for critical elections in the state.

The bill, HB 17, requires voters to register with one of the two major political parties in order to vote in the first stage of the taxpayer-funded elections process for Congress, state supreme court, and school board elections.

IVP Donate

Landry wanted a bill that ended nonpartisan elections in all cases, but didn't get it. Now, the state will use a mixed primary system where a third of state voters registered independent will have access to some primaries, but not all.

And voters aren't happy.

JMC Analytics conducted a poll that found that more than 70% of Louisiana voters favor the current system. This means not only the independent voters who will be left out int he cold, but many Democrats and Republicans as well.

"[A] solid majority are against changes to the system which of course is what the legislature opened the door on last year," said JMC Analytics Founder John Couvillon.

"And the unpopularity of changes grows stronger when you’re going from what the legislature just did to thoughts about changing to putting statewide elected officials under a closed primary to putting everybody under a closed primary.”

States with mixed primary systems tend to confuse voters. After all, they have to navigate a ballot where their right to vote is unconditional in some races but then conditioned on party membership in others.

To make matters worse, many voters are not even aware of the change. While conducting its poll, JMC Analytics found that only a third of respondents (34%) were aware the legislature changed primary election law.

It is worth noting that Louisiana briefly moved to partisan primaries for Congress in 2008. However, public outrage and confusion caused lawmakers to go back to nonpartisan elections after two election cycles.

Let Us Vote : Sign Now!

You Might Also Like

Gerrymandering, Primaries, and Election History: How It Really Works
Gerrymandering, Primaries, and Election History: How It Really Works
The nation’s attention is currently on the ongoing redistricting fight between Republicans and Democrats. The conversation is being framed: “Donald Trump is doing this.” “Gavin Newsom is doing that.” However, what voters are missing is the context of how we got here....
08 Aug, 2025
-
1 min read
Cartoon hand placing a ballot into a box that says primary on it with a GOP elephant and Democrat donkey in the background.
Hate Gerrymandering? Let’s Start Voting in Primaries
Responding to pressure from President Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Republican-controlled legislature are moving forward with a plan to redraw their district lines in advance of the 2026 midterms. Democrats are contemplating how to fight back and blunt any gains the GOP makes in Texas by conducting their own gerrymanders in New York, Illinois, and California.  ...
07 Aug, 2025
-
4 min read
state of Louisiana with a closed stamp over it.
Louisiana’s New Voting System: Closed, Confusing, and Costly
Louisiana is making the switch to closed partisan primaries for some elections in 2026, using a system that will no doubt confuse many of the state’s registered No Party voters, who are about to add approximately 151,000 people to their numbers. ...
30 Jul, 2025
-
6 min read
Blonde woman voting.
Here’s Proof that Independent Voters are Not Just Democrats or Republicans
IVN recognizes that being independent means something different to different people. It isn’t an ideology. It doesn’t require people to fall “in the center.” Being independent-minded is a mindset, and these voters can exist across the political spectrum....
11 Aug, 2025
-
3 min read
Gavin Newsom frowning
Gavin Newsom Has a Big Problem
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Governor Gavin Newsom is finding out the hard way that Californians, especially...
14 Aug, 2025
-
3 min read
Redistricting fight.
The 10 Worst Gerrymandered States in the Country
Monday marked another escalation in the mid-cycle redistricting fight between Republicans in Texas and Democrats in California – with one in another special session to add 5 more GOP seats, and the other maneuvering to counter this with 5 new Democratic seats....
18 Aug, 2025
-
7 min read