Louisiana Governor Suspends Congressional Primary Election

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) declared a state of emergency Thursday to suspend the state’s congressional primary election — which has already begun — in a shocking effort to hastily gerrymander the district following Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling gutting the Voting Rights Act. Early voting was set to begin Saturday in Louisiana’s May 16 primary election, and mail ballots have already been sent out to voters. Get updates straight to your inbox — for free Join 350,000 readers who rely on our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest in voting, elections and democracy. Instead, Landry postponed the elections until either July 15 or “such time as determined by the Legislature,” the governor said in an executive order. In the order, Landry cited provisions in the Louisiana election code allowing the governor to declare a state of emergency if the secretary of state certifies the emergency. He went on to claim that Wednesday’s ruling constituted an “election emergency.” Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry announced Thursday that voting for all other races on the May 16 ballot will proceed, but votes in the congressional races will not. “Our office will post notices at each of the early voting sites to alert the public of this change,” Landry said. “While the U.S. House races will remain on voters’ ballots, any votes cast in those races will not be counted.” Congressman Troy A. Carter (D-La.) blasted Landry for attempting to stop an active election. “This election is already underway—mail-in ballots have been sent, and early voting begins in just two days,” Carter said in a statement. “We must account for that reality and ensure voters aren’t left in confusion or denied fair representation at a critical moment. Our soldiers at war, the elderly, and anyone who requires accommodations to vote will face irreparable harm if we change course midstream.” Chad Dunn, an attorney with the UCLA Voting Rights Project, told Democracy Docket that the decision flies in the face of how elections are run in America. “In my almost three decades of election work, it is completely unprecedented to stop an election that is underway,” Dunn said. “So it’s extraordinary that a state would think that there are cast ballots already in an election and try to stop it so they could change the rules of the election while it’s underway.” “We live in an era of broken norms,” Dunn continued, adding, “This is beyond the pale. Exercising an emergency declaration on the basis of a Supreme Court ruling that’s not even final is simply ridiculous.” He was referring to the fact that the Callais ruling has not yet been formally certified. The plaintiffs have asked the court to expedite the certified judgment to allow the decision to take effect. However, a group of Black voters have filed their opposition, asking the court to pause the ruling pending the 2026 midterms. Holding free and fair elections depends on following established election rules and conducting orderly administration of elections, Dunn continued. “And it appears that we’re entering an era where… political actors are being allowed to build the election airplane as they fly it,” he said. “And that’s bad for all of us.”