A new statewide poll finds Louisiana residents overwhelmingly support an open primary election system over a closed party primary. Pollster John Couvillon says 69% of the 600 respondents favor an open primary, which is a similar percentage to when JMC Analytics and Polling asked this same question in the first quarter of this year.
“There are several aspects to this. Number one, they still strongly favor the current open primary system. Number two, they have no interest in loving the primary system that will soon be coming online,” Couvillon said.
Next year’s federal elections will be closed party primaries, which means registered Republicans and no party voters can only vote in the Republican primary and Democrats and no party voters can only vote in the Democratic primary.
Couvillon says Louisiana voters prefer the simplicity of an open party primary.
“You get to see all the candidates, regardless of party, on the same ballot. You get to pick and choose who you want,” Couvillon explained.
A group called Unite America paid for the poll. Unite America promotes itself as an organization that invests in nonpartisan election reform.
In 2024, Governor Jeff Landry helped convince the Louisiana Legislature to pass legislation to switch to closed party primaries for election to federal offices and other offices like PSC and BESE.
A spokesperson for Landry says Unite America’s philanthropic work supports groups with strong, liberal bias, like Environmental Defense Fund, Anti-Defamation League and the Nature Conservancy.
Couvillon says the last time Louisiana went to party primaries, it didn’t last long.
“When it was briefly changed in 2008 and 2010, even though it was literally for U.S. House and U.S. Senate races, the reaction was so negative that the legislature quickly repealed it,” Couvillon said.
Landry’s argument for changing to party primaries was that states that were more successful than Louisiana used that system to elect their officials.
