Louisiana special session ends early with new congressional map, closed voting primaries

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The special legislative session ended at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19. State lawmakers finished days earlier than scheduled, approved a new congressional district map, and closed the state's primary voting system.

The special session started Monday, Jan. 15 and was slated to continue for eight days. Gov. Jeff Landry wanted the session to tackle Supreme Court districts and about a dozen topics.

“Today is an exciting day! The outcome of this special session is a win for the people of Louisiana. We started the process of necessary structural change to our election system, allowing for a cleaner and simpler final ballot, and we took the pen out of the hand of a non-elected judge and placed it in the hands of the people. I applaud those legislators who worked hard to pass these bills, and I look forward to moving on to our top priority—the upcoming crime special session," he said in a statement.

The most pressing need was for a new congressional district map. A federal judge ruled that the previous map violates the Voting Rights Act. Victoria Wenger, an NAACP Legal Defense Fund attorney, said at a news conference Monday that if lawmakers passed the same map or failed to pass a new one, then a trial was set for Feb. 5.

Landry has called a second special session to start on Monday, Feb. 19. It will focus on crime issues across the state.

"There are critical decisions for the Senate to make as we start to tackle crime during the next special session as well as a myriad of other challenges during the regular session in March.  That’s where we’ll be able to gain some momentum and make changes voters feel are long overdue," Senate President Cameron Henry said in a news release.

House, Senate OK a map with 2 majority-minority congressional districts

The map, proposed by state Sen. Glen Womack, nearly cuts the 4th district covering western Louisiana in half with the 6th district. It’s drawn as a narrow, diagonal arm that runs from northwest Louisiana to Baton Rouge.

The House voted 86-16 to pass the map, and the Senate approved it 27-11. It will go to Gov. Jeff Landry for his approval or veto.

Jungle primaries set to end in 2026

Lawmakers also eliminated the jungle primary system in favor of a closed-party primary. The change is set to go into effect in 2026 and affects federal elections and those for:

• The Louisiana Supreme Court.
• The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
• The Public Service Commission.

The Senate approved the bill 29-9, and the House voted 67-36. The bill also goes to Landry for approval.

"In terms of closed primaries, it’s been a goal for many that gained traction under the leadership of Governor Landry, and now was the time to act.  With this session complete, all of our energy can now be directed towards the priorities that are important to our constituents," Speaker of the House Phillip DeVillier said in a news release.

This story will be updated.

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