General Information
On March 27, 2026, the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana held a webinar to discuss and educate voters on the intricacies and rules of the new closed party primary system taking effect statewide. Registered attendees were able to submit questions that the hosts addressed throughout the discussion.
To view the full webinar, interested individuals can visit the PAR Louisiana YouTube channel or click the link here.
On April 17, the Public Affairs Research Council will hold a second webinar covering the five upcoming constitutional amendments.
The closed primary system was established by legislation passed in January 2024 during the first special legislative session at the urging of Governor Jeff Landry. The Secretary of State's office received a two-year extension before implementation to allow time to educate voters on how the new system works and to make the necessary internal changes.
The first round of closed primaries is set for May 16, with runoffs to follow as needed on June 27.
Closed primaries are not entirely new to Louisiana. A closed presidential preference primary has been held every four years, but for voters who have not participated in that election, the process can understandably seem unfamiliar.
The deadline to verify your party affiliation, which can be done at GeauxVote.com, is April 15. For each election, the deadline to register by mail is 30 days before the election, and the deadline to register online is 20 days before.
"Make sure that you're affiliated with the party that you think you're affiliated with," Secretary of State Nancy Landry said during the webinar. "Just because you've been voting a certain way for years doesn't mean your official party registration reflects that. You have to make sure… because that official registration will determine the ballot you receive on election day."
Currently, 72% of Louisiana voters are registered with a major political party, 27% are registered with no party, and 1% are registered with a party outside the two major parties.
Major Party Affiliated Voters
For voters already registered with a major party, not much will change. During early voting and on election day, these individuals will enter the voting booth and see only the races and candidates corresponding to their party affiliation.
Five specific races are now closed, meaning voters may only choose candidates from their own affiliated party: U.S. House, U.S. Senate, Louisiana Supreme Court, Louisiana Public Service Commission, and Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Republicans will only be able to vote for Republican candidates in these races, and Democrats only for Democratic candidates.
A voter who participates in the first closed primary and later wishes to vote for the other party's candidates in a runoff may do so by switching their official party affiliation before the applicable deadline.
No-Party Voters
Before entering the voting booth, no-party voters will be asked to sign a form declaring a party affiliation in order to participate in either side of the closed primary races. Signing the form does not permanently change their no-party status, but it does grant access to one party's closed primary ballot for that election. Voters who decline to affiliate will not be eligible to vote in the closed primary races, but may still vote on open items and in the fall general election.
Some races remain open regardless of party affiliation — the five upcoming constitutional amendments and local elections do not require party affiliation to participate. There is currently legislation pending to move BESE from a closed to an open race, but it has not passed as of this writing.
For no-party voters who do sign the form, the affiliation declared in the first primary will carry over to any resulting runoff, meaning voters must remain with the same party in both rounds. In future election cycles, no-party voters will continue to fill out these forms each election, preserving the option to choose either party from one cycle to the next.
No-party voters who opt out of the first closed primary still have the opportunity to declare an affiliation and participate in any resulting runoff.
Other Party Voters
The 1% of voters registered with a party other than Democrat or Republican, such as Green or Libertarian, are not eligible to vote in any closed primary races.
Absentee by Mail Voters
Voters enrolled in absentee programs such as the Disability Program or the Over-65 Program receive ballots by mail for every election within a four-year period.
No-party voters in these programs should have already received a selection form by mail to return to the voting office so that the correct party-affiliated ballot can be sent for the closed primary races. These voters may still participate in open races and the November general election without affiliating.
Voters not enrolled in these programs who request an absentee ballot online will be prompted to affiliate during that process. Those who request a ballot by mail will receive the same selection form along with their ballot request.
