Louisiana takes first steps toward closed primary elections supported by Gov. Jeff Landry

Louisiana is taking the first steps toward changing its elections to a closed primary system favored by new Republican Gov. Jeff Landry as part of a Special Session of the Legislature.

Republican Lafayette Rep. Julie Emerson’s House Bill 17, which is supported by Landry and legislative leadership, would require closed primary elections for federal and state offices and local judges but keep Louisiana’s current “jungle primary” system for most other local races like sheriffs, district attorneys and police juries.

Emerson’s bill is set to get its first hearing Tuesday morning in the eight-day session that began Monday. Currently, Louisiana only conducts closed primary elections for presidential primaries.

In his address to the Legislature, Landry called Louisiana’s current system in which all candidates regardless of party run against each other in an open primary where all voters can participate “a relic of the past which has left us dead last.”

“It is time to rewrite our story and move to a similar system we have already tried, tested and still use in presidential primaries today,” Landry said.

In a closed primary system, recognized political parties would have their own elections with the winners advancing to a general election in which all voters could participate. Candidates without party affiliations would automatically advance to the general election.

Louisiana’s jungle primary system, in which the two candidates who received the most votes regardless of party affiliation advance to the general unless a candidate takes more than 50% of the votes, is unique in America, although there are many other states with some form of open primary elections.

Supporters in both camps each released competing polls they paid for that bolstered their arguments.

One good government group, Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, directly opposes closed primaries and a second, Council for a Better Louisiana, said the short session doesn’t provide enough time to fully debate its merits.

“The unnecessary switch could cost more, confuse voters and disenfranchise those that don’t belong to either the Republican or Democratic party,” PAR said in a commentary. “The Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana believes the public receives no benefit from such a move.”

Louisiana Republican U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy has been the most prominent political voice supporting keeping the current system.

“It’s going to cost $90 million, money that could be spent on roads, making our streets safer and lowering the cost of property and casualty insurance instead of spent on more elections,” Cassidy said of moving to closed primary election. “It disenfranchises 800,000 Louisianans who are no party. Sorry, you’re not in our club. We’re not going to let you in.”

But Landry, fresh off his stunning outright primary win last fall, wields enormous power out of the gate with a super majority of Republicans in both the House and Senate who aren’t likely to buck the governor this early in his reign.

He won election to Congress more than a decade ago during Louisiana’s brief experience with closed primaries and has has long supported making the switch permanent.

“It is fair and it is common sense,” he said. “And, for our independent or no party voters who by their own choice decide not to join a  political party – their voice is heard and counted … on a simpler, shorter, clearer November election ballot containing generally one Democrat, one Republican and ballot qualified independent candidates.”

More: Jeff Landry calls session to draw new congressional, Supreme Court maps, change elections

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.