Lafayette Parish, LA (February 23, 2026) – Louisiana will conduct its first election under the reimplemented Closed-Party Primaries (CCP) system on May 16, 2026 (the state previously used closed-party primaries from approximately 2008 to 2012), following enactment by the Louisiana Legislature through Act 1 of the 2024 First Extraordinary Session.
CCPs are elections in which voters choose candidates to represent Louisiana’s two major political parties in certain races. The Louisiana Legislature applied the CCP for only the following elected positions:
- United States Senator
- United State Representatives (also referred to as Congress members)
- Louisiana Supreme Court
- Louisiana Public Service Commissions
- Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) member
During a CCP, only four political parties will be recognized:
- Republican Party
- Democratic Party
- Green Party
- Libertarian Party
In a CCP election, the candidates on a voter’s ballot will be limited to those of the voter’s party affiliation.
- Registered Republicans voters can only vote for a Republican candidate.
- Registered Democratics voters can only vote for a Democratic candidate.
- Registered No-Party voters will have the opportunity to vote in the closed primary, however these voters will have to step out of line, and sign a declaration which is witinessed, if they want to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary. After making their declaration, they will be able to get in front of the voting line.
- Registered Green Party and Libertarian voters can only vote for constitutional amendments or tax renewals.
Lafayette Parish Voter Registration and Election Costs
According to Lafayette Parish Clerk of Court Louis Perret, as of January 2026 Lafayette Parish has:
- 67,034 Registered Republicans
- 45, 963 Registered Democratics
- 47,092 Registered No-Party
Perret also advised Lafayette Parish has 131 precints, and 50 different voting locations. There will be four elections in 2026 in Lafayette Parish in 2026, with the first being May 16 for the Party Primary/Municipal Primary, June 27 for the 2nd Party Primary/Municipal General, November 3 for Congressional General/Open Primary and December 12 for Open General. Each election will cost Lafayette Parish approximately $212,000 for each election.
A Brief History of Louisiana Primaries
Louisiana previously had open-candidate primaries (OCP), sometimes called Jungle primaries, in which all candidates from all parties ran in the same election.
In 1973, then Governor Edwin Edwards held a Constitutional Convention which changed from having CCP to OCP. From approximately 2008-2012 Louisiana used CCP for congressional candidates only, and then went back to using OCP.
For more information on Closed-Candidate Primaries, visit the Louisiana Secretary of State website.
