Thousands of Louisiana voters may need to take a closer look at their voter registration status because the state is no longer recognizing the Independent Party.
Political analyst John Couvillon with JMC Analytics says the change could have wide-reaching effects and not just for how people identify politically, but for who gets to vote in upcoming primary elections.
“A lot of people didn’t realize that registering with the ‘Independent Party’ meant joining an actual political organization,” Couvillon explained. “Many just wanted to be unaffiliated, or what we commonly call ‘independent’ in a general sense.”
With the state transitioning to closed primaries, no-party voters will be allowed to vote in one of the two party primaries. Voters registered with a third party will not be allowed to vote in either of the two major primaries.
Couvillon says the move could significantly shift the state’s political dynamics.
Roughly 150,000 voters in Louisiana are classified as no party, an unaffiliated bloc big enough to swing close elections.
“Some of the tightest races in Louisiana have been decided by much smaller margins than that,” he said. “This group could now become a key swing vote if they’re properly counted and engaged.”