Louisiana voters had already cast tens of thousands of ballots in the upcoming U.S. House primary elections when Republican Gov. Jeff Landry moved to suspend the elections. It’s now unclear how election officials will handle those votes.
According to records from Louisiana’s Secretary of State, nearly 80,000 voters have already cast ballots for the May 16 primaries, including more than 42,000 absentee ballots and about 37,000 submitted in person. The voting data was first reported by the Louisiana Illuminator.
Louisiana’s early voting surge came as the state prepared for a slate of closely watched House races, with early ballots submitted under rules that were in place before the governor’s decision.
Then, on Thursday, Landry issued an executive order effectively pausing the state’s electoral process and leaving election officials scrambling to determine next steps.
The governor’s decision to halt the primaries followed a Supreme Court ruling a day earlier that struck down Louisiana’s congressional map, ruling it an unconstitutional gerrymander that violated constitutional protections by improperly drawing district lines.
In a 6-3 decision, the court found that the map, which had created a second majority-Black district in future elections, either diluted minority voting strength or was drawn with impermissible considerations.
On Monday, the high court ruled that its decision to strike down the map can take immediate effect, allowing the state’s GOP-led legislature to redraw the map before the midterms.
Ballots already cast are left in limbo
State officials have not yet clarified whether the ballots already cast will remain valid once a new election date is set or whether voters will be required to resubmit them.
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Lawmakers have criticized Landry’s last-minute election pause, warning that changing an election after voting has already begun could weaken public trust.
“Let me be clear, elections are not political chess pieces. You don’t get to start the game, see how it’s going, and then flip the board when it’s over,” Democratic Louisiana state Rep. Kyle Green Jr. said at a news conference at Mt. Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Monday.
“Absentee ballots are already being cast. People have relied on the law as it exists today,” Green said, adding, “So, to now suggest that the process can be halted injects confusion, chaos, and distrust into something that depends on stability and fairness.”
Several lawsuits — filed in both federal and state court — are seeking to block the emergency declaration.
“The people of Louisiana, including Plaintiffs and their members, are currently experiencing irreparable harm because of the steps taken by the Secretary purporting to carry out the Governor’s unlawful Executive Order,” one lawsuit filed on Monday argued, adding it “has created confusion and uncertainty over the voting and ballot-counting process.”
Ebony Davis is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked at CNN as a campaign reporter covering elections and politics.