“No Party” voters are allowed to vote in either the Republican or Democratic party primaries, but that might not be the case in the future. There is a bill that is close to final legislative passage that will allow each party to decide if registered “No Party” voters can vote in their primary. Baton Rouge Senator Regina Barrow opposes the idea.
“I’m not seeing that the parties will decide not to allow them to participate; but if they do, then they won’t have chance to vote in the primary. They would have to wait until the general. And then it’s unfair, because guess what? They’re still paying taxes,” Barrow said.
New Iberia Senator Blake Miguez believes it’s a good idea.
“Change is not always a bad thing, right? Change can be for the better, to align our state with other states that have had success with this type of primary system,” Miguez said.
According to ballotpedia.com, the Republican Party in 23 states does not allow “No Party” voters vote in their primary. That’s also the case for the Democratic Party in 17 states. Secretary of State Nancy Landry understands the logic behind allowing a political party to decide who can vote in the primary.
“They are not a member of that party. And so the counterargument is that they don’t have a right to pick that party’s candidate, because they’re not a member of that party,” Landry noted.
Landry does not have a position on the part of the bill that would allow parties to decide who they allow to participate in their closed primaries. But her office needs some type of resolution before the 2028 Presidential primary, because the state does not want different types of primaries on a single ballot.
In Senate Government Affairs Committee, Miguez asked Landry if parties decided to close their primaries to just their voters, can the state effectively educate voters about the change.
Miguez: “Are you confident in yourself and your office’s ability to run a party primary without voter confusion in the future, if given the resources, and support the legislature to do that?”
Landry: “With the right resources.”
The bill is heading to the Senate floor for final legislative passage. Senate President Cameron Henry told the Louisiana Illuminator he does not like the legislation, because a third of the voting population would not be allowed to vote.
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