Primaries in Louisiana, 2018
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: Oct. 23 - Oct. 30
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
| Top-two Party primaries, 2018 |
 |
| Primary Date |
| Federal elections |
| Top-two primaries for U.S. House |
| State elections |
| Top-two primaries for Louisiana legislature |
| State party |
| State political party revenue |
Louisiana does not conduct typical primary elections. Instead, all candidates running for a local, state, or federal office appear on the same ballot in either October (in odd-numbered years) or November (in even-numbered years), regardless of their partisan affiliations. If a candidate wins a simple majority of all votes cast for the office (i.e., 50 percent, plus one vote), he or she wins the election outright. If no candidate meets that threshold, the top two finishers advance to a second election in either November (in odd-numbered years) or December (in even-numbered years), regardless of their partisan affiliations. In that election, the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes wins. Ballotpedia refers to Louisiana's electoral system as the Louisiana majority-vote system. It is also commonly referred to as a jungle primary. Because it is possible for a candidate to win election in the first round of voting, Louisiana's nominating contest is not a traditional primary.
- Note: HB17, signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry (R) on 01/22/24, creates closed partisan primaries and primary runoffs for Congress, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Louisiana Public Service Commission and Louisiana Supreme Court beginning in 2026.
This page concerns the primary elections that took place in Louisiana on November 6, 2018. In addition, the page provides context for understanding the state party apparatus.
Federal elections
U.S. House
District 1
Primary election candidates
Primary candidates- Steve Scalise (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
- Lee Ann Dugas (Democratic Party)
- Jim Francis (Democratic Party)
- Frederick Jones (Independent)
- Howard Kearney (Libertarian Party)
- Tammy Savoie (Democratic Party)
District 2
Primary election candidates
Primary candidates- Cedric Richmond (Incumbent) (Democratic Party) ✔
- Belden Batiste (Independent)
- Shawndra Rodriguez (Independent)
- Jesse Schmidt (Independent)
District 3
Primary election candidates
Primary candidates- Clay Higgins (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
- Rob Anderson (Democratic Party)
- Aaron Andrus (Libertarian Party)
- Josh Guillory (Republican Party)
- Mildred Methvin (Democratic Party)
- Larry Rader (Democratic Party)
- Verone Thomas (Democratic Party)
District 4
Primary election candidates
Primary candidates- Mike Johnson (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
- Mark Halverson (Independent)
- Ryan Trundle (Democratic Party)
District 5
Primary election candidates
Primary candidates- Ralph Abraham (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
- Billy Burkette (Independent)
- Jessee Carlton Fleenor (Democratic Party)
- Kyle Randol (Libertarian Party)
District 6
Primary election candidates
Primary candidates- Garret Graves (Incumbent) (Republican Party) ✔
- Justin DeWitt (Democratic Party)
- Devin Lance Graham (Independent)
- Andie Saizan (Democratic Party)
State elections
Louisiana Party Control: 1992-2024
Eight years of Democratic trifectas • Six years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
State party overviews
Democratic Party of Louisiana
- See also: Democratic Party of Louisiana
Republican Party of Louisiana
- See also: Republican Party of Louisiana
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws. The following table displays the revenue over a six-year period from 2011 to 2016 for both the Democratic Party of Louisiana and the Republican Party of Louisiana. Revenue totals are broken down by party, account type, and year. The data was compiled through publicly available state and federal campaign finance reports.
| Louisiana state political party revenue, 2011 to 2016 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Year | Democratic | Republican | ||||||
| Federal account | State account(s) | Total | Federal account | State account(s) | Total | ||||
| Louisiana[1][2] | 2011 | $224,982.95 | $1,118,563.08 | $1,343,546.03 | $130,767.27 | $2,423,734.85 | $2,554,502.12 | ||
| 2012 | $355,868.36 | $396,259.87 | $752,128.23 | $424,492.86 | $616,135.83 | $1,040,628.69 | |||
| 2013 | $521,119.35 | $514,728.53 | $1,035,847.88 | $298,258.26 | $232,297.83 | $530,556.09 | |||
| 2014 | $4,840,341.96 | $1,814,188.55 | $6,654,530.51 | $2,981,073.42 | $349,864.95 | $3,330,938.37 | |||
| 2015 | $545,537.23 | $2,996,128.15 | $3,541,665.38 | $257,708.07 | $639,802.94 | $897,511.01 | |||
| 2016 | $3,636,193.12 | $278,096.97 | $3,914,290.09 | $2,544,171.69 | $104,167.82 | $2,648,339.51 | |||
Louisiana compared to other states
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following maps display total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic and Republican state party affiliates from 2011 to 2016. The blue map displays Democratic state parties and the red map displays Republican state parties. Click on a state below to view the state party's revenue per capita totals:
Total Democratic and Republican state political party revenue per capita in the United States, 2011-2016
Primary election scheduling
Louisiana does not conduct true primary elections. Instead, all candidates for congressional and state-level office, regardless of partisan affiliation, run in the primary election. If a candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for an office in the primary election, he or she wins outright. If, however, no candidate reaches that threshold, a general election is held between the top two vote-getters.
Voter information
How the primary works
Louisiana does not conduct typical primary elections. Instead, all candidates running for a local, state, or federal office appear on the same ballot in either October (in odd-numbered years) or November (in even-numbered years), regardless of their partisan affiliations. If a candidate wins a simple majority of all votes cast for the office (i.e., 50 percent, plus one vote), he or she wins the election outright. If no candidate meets that threshold, the top two finishers advance to a second election in either November (in odd-numbered years) or December (in even-numbered years), regardless of their partisan affiliations. In that election, the candidate who receives the greatest number of votes wins. Ballotpedia refers to Louisiana's electoral system as the Louisiana majority-vote system. It is also commonly referred to as a jungle primary. Because it is possible for a candidate to win election in the first round of voting, Louisiana's nominating contest is not a traditional primary.
- Note: HB17, signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry (R) on 01/22/24, creates closed partisan primaries and primary runoffs for Congress, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Louisiana Public Service Commission and Louisiana Supreme Court beginning in 2026.
Poll times
In Louisiana, polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central time for Tuesday elections. For Saturday elections, polls open at 7:00 a.m. If the polls close while a voter is in line, he or she will still be permitted to vote.[3][4]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To vote in Louisiana, one must be a United States citizen who resides in the state and parish in which he or she registers. A voter must be at least 18 years old by Election Day.[5]
Registration completed via mail or in person must occur at least 30 days before Election Day. Registration completed online must occur at least 20 days before Election Day. Registrants must present a valid form of identification to register. Pre-registration is available beginning at age 16.[5]
Voters may register in person at any Registrar of Voters office or any of the following places:[5]
- Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles
- Louisiana Department of Social Services
- WIC offices
- Food stamp offices
- Medicaid offices
- Offices and agencies serving people with disabilities
- Military recruitment offices
Automatic registration
Louisiana does not practice automatic voter registration.
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Louisiana has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
Louisiana does not allow same-day voter registration.
Residency requirements
Louisiana law requires 20 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.
Verification of citizenship
Louisiana does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Verifying your registration
The site Geaux Vote, run by the Louisiana Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements
Louisiana requires voters to present photo identification while voting.[6]
Voters can present the following forms of identification. This list was current as of April 11, 2023. Click here to ensure you have the most current information.
- Louisiana driver's license
- Louisiana special identification card
- LA Wallet digital driver's license
- Other generally recognized picture identification card that contains the name and signature of the voter
Voters who do not have accepted ID may vote by completing a voter identification affidavit. By law, voters who sign an affidavit may be challenged.[7]
Registered voters can bring their voter information card to the Office of Motor Vehicles to receive a free Louisiana special identification card.[6]
Early voting
Louisiana permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.[8]
Absentee voting
The following individuals are eligible to vote absentee in Louisiana:[9]
- Senior citizens, 65 years of age or older
- Voters who expect to be temporarily absent from the state or their parish during the early voting period and on election day
- Offshore workers
- Residents of nursing homes, veterans' homes, or hospitals
- Students, instructors, or professors (as well as their spouses and dependents) who are living outside of their parish
- Ministers, priests, rabbis, or other members of the clergy who are assigned outside of their parish
- Voters who moved more than 100 miles from the seat of their former parish within 30 days of an election
- Voters who are involuntarily confined to a mental institution and have not been judicially declared incompetent
- Voters who expect to be hospitalized on Election Day
- Incarcerated voters who have not been convicted of a felony
- Participants in the secretary of state's Address Confidentiality Program
- Sequestered jurors
See also
| Federal primaries in Louisiana | State primaries in Louisiana | Louisiana state party apparatus | Louisiana voter information |
|---|---|---|---|
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Footnotes
- ↑ Louisiana Ethics Administration Program, "View Campaign Finance Reports," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Republican Party of Louisiana and Louisiana Democrats)
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Candidate and Committee Viewer," accessed May 2016 (Search terms Republican Party of Louisiana and Democratic State Central Committee of LA)
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "FAQ: Voting on Election Day," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Vote on Election Day," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Register to Vote," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Vote on Election Day," accessed October 3, 2019
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Louisiana voters' bill of rights and voting information," accessed April 11, 2023
- ↑ On February 23, 2024, Delaware Superior Court judge Mark Conner ruled that early voting was unconstitutional in the state, saying that the laws were "inconsistent with our constitution and therefore cannot stand." On February 29, lawmakers introduced legislation, SB3, to restore in-person early voting. On February 27, Attorney General Kathy Jennings (D) announced that she would appeal the decision to the Delaware Supreme Court and said, "We will file our appeal quickly and intend to request a decision from the Delaware Supreme Court so that voters have final clarity in time for the September primaries." The Delaware Supreme Court heard arguments in the appeal in June and was expected to issue a decision before the scheduled early voting period for the 2024 general election.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Vote Absentee," accessed April 11, 2023
