Early voting begins Saturday in Louisiana under extraordinary circumstances. Governor Jeff Landry suspended the Democratic and Republican primary races for U.S. House seats this week, a decision that came after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated one of Louisiana's two majority-Black congressional districts represented by Democratic Rep. Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge.
At the Registrar's Office in New Orleans City Hall, staff worked Friday to set up voting machines and prepare sample ballots. Registrar Lisa Manning Bridges emphasized that while House races will remain on the ballot, votes cast for those races will not be counted. "Everything is going as planned. The only thing that voters should be aware of is that House races, those votes will not count. They'll still be on the ballot, but they won't be counted," Bridges said.
Other races scheduled for May 16 will proceed normally, including the U.S. Senate race, state Supreme Court, Public Service Commission, and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education contests. Mail-in ballots have already begun arriving at registrars' offices, and Bridges urged voters to submit them by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, May 15.
The election is taking place amid substantial voter confusion. The shift to closed-party primaries rather than the open primaries voters typically experience has compounded uncertainty. Bridges acknowledged the widespread confusion, particularly among unaffiliated voters who must declare a party preference to vote in closed Republican or Democratic races. "There is a lot of confusion," she said. Unaffiliated voters who do not choose a party affiliation will not receive ballots containing closed partisan races.
Senate President Cameron Henry, a Republican, acknowledged the challenges created when major election changes occur days before voting. "When you can't give direction to the public three days before an election, four days before an election, I can appreciate that frustration," Henry said. The registrar's office stands ready to answer voter questions as residents navigate the altered primary landscape.
