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Signs point to a costly and chaotic election that risks disenfranchising Louisianans who are accustomed to and strongly support a five-decade-old open system.
Voters reformed the broken system, opting for top-four nonpartisan primaries and instant runoff general elections. Every Alaska voter — 58% of who are politically independent — was able to participate in the same primary election.
The system increased participation and competition, and resulted in winning candidates who reflected the political diversity of the state. In 2022, voters elected a conservative Republican governor, moderate Republican senator, and moderate Democratic representative.
The Louisiana Legislative Fiscal Office estimates that party primaries will cost at least $11.7M this year, and could be $19.7M depending on how many runoffs there are.
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A March 2026 poll finds 62% of Louisianans are unaware of the change to party primaries.
All six of Louisiana’s U.S. House seats and its Senate seat are safe for either Democrats or Republicans and will be effectively decided in the May 16 primary. Only votes cast in the dominant party’s primary will be meaningful in determining the winner. That’s in contrast to the old open primary system, where every voter could cast a ballot for their favorite candidate, regardless of party.
The more-than 830,000 unaffiliated voters in Louisiana must choose a single party’s ballot in the primary.
Democrats — including 76% of Black voters — cannot vote in Republican primaries, and will be effectively disenfranchised from most elections of consequence in the heavily Republican state.
The following Unite America staff, partners, and in-state advocates are available for on-the-record interviews, background briefings, and rapid response in the lead-up to and aftermath of Louisiana’s primary elections.
Nick Troiano, Unite America Executive Director
Dr. Richard Barton, Unite America Research Fellow and Political Science Professor at Syracuse UniversityFormer
Congressman Garret Graves (R)
Alberto Ramos, Veterans for all Voters CEO
Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser (R)
M. Christian Green, League of Women Voters of Louisiana President
Stay up-to-date on the latest news and resources from Unite America.
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