Since 1977 state elections in Louisiana have used a jungle primary system, which in Louisiana has become known as "open" primary, where all the candidates for an office run together in one election. If someone gets a majority, that individual wins outright; otherwise, the top two candidates, irrespective of partisan affiliation, meet in a runoff election. Between 2008 and 2010, federal races no longer used this method.[1] In 2010, the legislature voted to revert federal elections back to the jungle primary system with the passage of House Bill 292, which was signed into law by Governor Jindal on June 25, 2010.[2]
Louisiana is one of only five states that elects its state officials in odd-numbered years. (The others are Kentucky, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia). Louisiana holds elections for these offices every four years in the year preceding a Presidential election. Thus, the two most recent gubernatorial elections in Louisiana took place in 2007 and 2011.
Louisiana is one of 18 states that run separate elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, a process that has resulted in Governor-Lieutenant Governor pairs from different parties and/or widely differing political ideologies. For example, current Governor Bobby Jindal is a Republican, while former Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu (who has since been elected as Mayor of New Orleans) is a Democrat.
The current Commissioner of Elections is Angie LaPlace.
Election law in Louisiana
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