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Louisiana's Primaries

Partisan Primary Types​

Democratic PartyRepublican Party
Presidential PrimariesState PrimariesPresidential PrimariesState Primaries
closed top-two closed top-two

Presidential and State Primaries Scheduling​

Consolidated Primaries: No

Louisiana is one of the states that have not merged their presidential and state primaries. On a Presidential Election year, presidential primaries and State primaries are scheduled to run on different dates.

Louisiana conducts local and state elections on Saturdays using what is referred to as an open primary system, where any qualified elector may qualify as a candidate, regardless of party, and run for office and all eligible voters may cast a vote in the election, regardless of party affiliation. Some call this system a jungle primary because all candidates for an office run together in one election and the majority vote wins.

Voting In Primaries​

  • The parties govern by their rules who can vote in the election. Presently only registered Democratic voters can vote in the Democratic Party primary, registered Republicans in the Republican Party primary, and registered Independents in the Independent Party primary. These primaries are closed to all other registered voters. In Louisiana, unlike in other top-two systems, a candidate who receives a majority of the vote in the primary is automatically elected, in which case the race does not proceed to a general election. If there is no majority vote winner in the primary election then the top two candidates go to a run-off election called a general election.

Delegates and Presidential Primaries​

The presidential primary process involves selecting delegates who will represent the state at the party's national convention. Delegates selected from the primary elections attend the party's national convention, where they officially nominate the presidential candidate. The candidate with the majority of delegates becomes the party's nominee for the presidential election. Candidates Ballot access rules vary depending on the candidate’s political party.

Democratic PartyRepublican Party
Total Del. VotesPled.Unpled.Altern.Total Del. VotesPled.Unpled.Altern.
56 48 8 4 47 47 44

Democratic Party Primary Delegates Process​

Democratic Party's Delegates Allocation​

The Democratic Party in Louisiana uses a proportional representation system based on the results of the Presidential Preference Election (Primary) for apportioning delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

In 2024, Florida's Democratic party will send a total of 56 Delegate Votes and 4 Alternate Delegates to the DNC national convention. Of the 56 delegate votes, 48 Pledged Delegate Votes (32 District-level delegates, 10 At-Large, and 6 PLEOs) and 8 Automatic Delegate Votes.

Presidential Candidates Ballot Access​

  • A presidential candidate gains access to the State presidential preference primary ballot if:
  • The candidate has filed the appropriate registration information with the federal election commission (FEC) to become a candidate for president of the United States; and
  • Please check with the State Democratic party for further requirements.

Delegates Breakdown​

  • District-level Delegates: 32
  • At-large Delegates: 10
  • Pledged PLEOs Delegates: 6
  • Automatic Delegates - Unpledged PLEOs: 8
  • Alternate Delegates: 4

Automatic Delegates (Unpledged PLEOs - Super Delegates) Breakdown​

  • DNC Members: 6
  • Dem. Members of Congress: 1
  • Dem. Gorvernors: 1
  • Distinguished Party Leaders: 0

Republican Party Primary Delegates Process​

Republican Party's Delegates Allocation​

The Republican Party uses a Winner-Take-All system based on the results of the Presidential Preference Election (Primary) for apportioning delegates to the Republican National Convention.

Louisiana's Republican party will send a total of 47 Delegate Votes and 44 Alternate Delegates to the 2024 RNC national convention. 47 Pledged Delegate Votes (18 District-level delegates, 26 At-Large, and 3 RNC delegates). All 47 of Louisiana's delegates to the Republican National Convention are allocated to the presidential contender who received the most votes in today's Presidential Primary.

Presidential Candidates Ballot Access​

  • A presidential candidate gains access to the State presidential preference primary ballot if:
  • The candidate has filed the appropriate registration information with the federal election commission (FEC) to become a candidate for president of the United States; and a Qualifying Fee OR a Nominating Petition
  • Qualifying Fee of $750.00 and any additional fee imposed by political party state central committees ($375 for Republican and Democratic parties) (total $1,125.00).
  • Nominating Petitions must contain 6,000 signatures, with at least 1,000 signatures from registered voters affiliated with the party from each of the 6 congressional districts (La R.S. 18:1280.22(A)). Nominating petitions are available upon request.

Delegates Breakdown​

  • District-level Delegates: 18
  • At-large Delegates: 26
  • RNC Delegates: 3
  • Alternate Delegates: 44

NOTES​

This page contains primary election rules and Presidential Primary delegates allocation information on elections occurring across the country

Primary voting rules and delegate allocation apply to statewide partisan primary elections in most cases. However, check with your Town Clerk for primary voting guide as they may vary by town and political party.Please be advised that the information provided on this site is updated regularly but is subject to scheduling changes at the local level.

The information provided on the page was validated using the following resourses: