In a dramatic move, Gov. Jeff Landry and legislative leaders are planning to postpone Louisiana’s upcoming elections for the U.S. House, according to two people who have spoken to Landry.
The plans to change the election schedule result from the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling Wednesday that Louisiana’s congressional map is an illegal racial gerrymander.
Lawmakers will have to move fast because absentee ballot voting has already begun for the May 16 primary election and early voting is scheduled to begin on Saturday. The plan is for House races to take place later this year only after the Legislature and governor have redrawn the map for the six congressional districts, the sources said.
The election plans are likely to cause chaos for voters and election officials because Landry and legislative leaders are planning to keep the existing May 16 primary schedule for other races, most notably the hotly contested Senate election where Sen. Bill Cassidy is facing a tough challenge from U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming. The five constitutional amendments scheduled for May 16 also would continue as planned, the sources said.
So would a heated state Supreme Court race on the north shore, two Public Service Commission races — one in northwest Louisiana and the other to represent the suburban districts around New Orleans — a seat on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and local races around the state.
The changed election plans will most directly affect the Republican primary to replace Letlow in the 5th Congressional District race. Candidates include state Rep. Michael Echols of Monroe, Sen. Rick Edmonds of Baton Rouge, state Sen. Blake Miguez of Erath and Board of Regents Chair Misti Cordell of Monroe.
Republicans have said they want the new map to eliminate either one or both of the congressional seats held by U.S. Rep. Troy Carter of New Orleans and U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields of Baton Rouge. Both are Black Democrats.
