Early Voting begins today, May 2, for the May 16 Primary election in Louisiana.
A United States Supreme Court ruling Wednesday may cause a little confusion with the Louisiana Primary race, among other ballot items, but only one part of the ballot will be postponed - the congressional race.
Early voting runs from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily (except Sunday, May 3) at the Livingston Parish Registrar of Voters office and the Denham Springs - Walker Branch of the Library.
See below for the items that will remain on this cycle's ballot:
Gov. Jeff Landry on Thursday issued an executive order formally suspending Louisiana's closed party primary elections for U.S. House seats, two days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's congressional map as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
The suspension applies only to U.S. Representative races. All other offices and ballot measures scheduled for the May 16 primary will continue as planned, and early voting will still begin Saturday for those races. The June 27 second primary for U.S. House seats has also been suspended.
"The best way to end race-based discrimination is to stop making decisions based on race," Landry said in a statement. "Here in Louisiana, we're proud to lead the nation on this charge. Allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters. This executive order ensures we uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and lawful congressional map."
The order follows certification by the Louisiana Secretary of State that an electoral emergency exists under R.S. 18:401.1, the state statute that authorizes the governor to suspend or delay elections to protect voter safety, participation, and the integrity of the process.
The April 29 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais found that the state's current six-district map, enacted as SB 8 during the 2024 First Extraordinary Session, was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The 6-3 decision, written by Justice Samuel Alito, effectively reinstated a lower court injunction prohibiting the state from conducting elections under the invalidated map. The case has been remanded to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
In a joint statement issued Thursday morning before the executive order, Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill said the state was working with the Legislature and the Secretary of State's office to develop a path forward. Murrill said earlier this week that the Legislature has the first opportunity to draw a new map, and that lawmakers can move primary dates if they choose, given that the general election is not until November. The current legislative session ends June 1.
Louisiana is currently represented in the U.S. House by four Republicans and two Democrats.
