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. 

First, A Recap

At the behest of Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, the Louisiana Legislature fast-tracked a bill during a special session in January 2024 to switch to a closed partisan primary system for some (but not all) state elections.

To clarify what “fast-tracked” means: it was introduced and sent to Landry’s desk in the span of a week. The governor wanted sweeping closed partisan primaries that barred independent participation, but lawmakers limited the change to the following elections:

• US Senate
• US House
• State Supreme Court
• School Board
• Public Service Commission

The options available to voters in these contests will depend on their party affiliation. Instead of simply electing a candidate, voters will now choose party nominees in these 5 election types that will advance to a general election.

Under the new system, Republicans can only choose a Republican nominee, and Democrats can only choose a Democratic nominee.

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

No Party voters will get to choose between a Republican and Democratic ballot, but their choices will be limited to the candidates of that party in closed contests, meaning they will not have the same range of choice under the state’s unique nonpartisan election system.

For elections that remain open to all voters, the state will continue to use a “jungle primary," which puts all candidates running on a single ballot, regardless of party, and if a candidate gets a majority of the vote, they win outright.

If not, a runoff is held the following month between the top two vote-getters.

The “jungle primary” is generally held at or close to when voters in other states hold their general elections. In even-numbered years, it is in November. In odd numbered years, it is in October. 

Side Note: Political commentators and the press have often confused the term “jungle primary” with the nonpartisan Top Two systems used in California and Washington, which are guaranteed to have a primary early in the year and a general election in November.

Voters registered with any other party other than the Republican and Democratic Parties will have no say on primary election day. They will have to wait until general elections are held and for all state and local races still under the "jungle primary."

The argument used by those who advocated for closed primaries in Louisiana is that parties should choose their own nominees, which has always been their right. Louisiana’s jungle primary system doesn’t choose nominees. It chooses the winner of an election.

If a party wants to hold its own nomination process to determine which candidate(s) they want to endorse for the nonpartisan ballot, they can. Adding closed primaries simply gives the parties greater control over election outcomes – at an added expense to taxpayers.

If This Sounds Unnecessarily Convoluted – That’s Because It Is

The closed primaries adopted by the Louisiana Legislature work a little different than other closed systems. Independent voters will have an opportunity to participate, but their options will be limited in some elections.

In the 2026 partisan primaries, registered No Party voters (who account for 22% of the registered voter population) will be asked to choose a Republican ballot or a Democratic ballot – a strange adjustment from a system in which all voters received a single ballot.

And this is where the complexity ramps up. These voters will have to choose a party ballot to vote in early contests, which is something many of them may not want to do in order to have a meaningful say in the process.

The 2026 election calendar lists 4 key dates. The partisan primaries will be held in April. Only closed state elections and municipal primaries will be on the ballot during this election, and while third-party voters will not be able to vote in closed races, they can vote in local contests.

This means they have to wait for November to vote in US House and Senate elections, along with elections for Louisiana Supreme Court, Public Service Commission, and school board. All statewide seats up for election in 2026 are under the new closed primary system.

If no candidate gets a majority of the vote in any closed primary contest, a runoff will be held in May along with municipal general elections. No Party voters can only vote on the party ballot they chose in the primary, while third party voters can only vote in municipal general elections.

November 3 marks the date for congressional and statewide general elections. There will not be a statewide “jungle primary” in 2026 because state and legislative elections under that system come up in odd-numbered years.

This means that voters’ rights in elections and the extent of their choices will change from year to year.

The final date on the election schedule is December 13. Believe it or not, if a US House or Senate election doesn’t end with a majority winner (as a result of third party and/or independent candidates who qualified for the ballot), another runoff will be held.

In other words, it is possible that a single contest under the closed primary system can have 4 separate elections in 2026: a primary, a primary runoff, a general election, and a general election runoff.

Notably, this isn’t the first time Louisiana has tried a mixed system with US House and Senate elections closed and all other contests open. The state tried this back in 2008, but public outrage and confusion caused lawmakers to go back to a sweeping nonpartisan system.

Political analyst James Hartman told WBRZ: "It cost the state a lot of money, cost parishes a lot of money, and confused a lot of voters." Mixed primary systems often confuse voters because they enforce inconsistent rules on voter access.

A voter can vote here, but they can’t vote there. Their rights are protected in this election but are denied in that election. They get to choose candidates from any political party in one election but can only vote for candidates of a single party in another – or can’t vote at all.

Another example of this is in California, where nonpartisan Top Two primaries are used for most elections, but semi-closed primaries that place restrictions on participation are used for president. This has left voters befuddled on why they don't get equal protection and say in all elections.

The Independent Voter Project filed a writ of certiorari with the US Supreme Court in 2023, challenging the state’s use of a semi-closed primary system instead of extending equal voting rights to all eligible citizens in all elections. 

No More Independent Party in Louisiana

The number of registered No Party voters in Louisiana is getting bigger. In preparation for the official switch to closed primaries, the legislature this year removed the Independent Party from the state’s list of recognized political parties.

Act 84 mandated this change, as state officials recognized many voters were not aware that when they registered under the “Independent" label, they were actually registering with a party. The official designation for independent voters is “No Party.”

And to the state’s credit, this will address at least some confusion with voters as observed by Gov. Landry.

“This proactive change will allow voters formerly registered as Independents to participate in closed party primaries next year, preventing voter confusion while maximizing participation,” Landry said.

This change will add about 151,000 voters registered Independent to the roughly 658,000 already registered No Party – increasing this group’s share of the registered electorate to approximately 27%.