NEW ORLEANS — Polls opened at 7 a.m. on Saturday for Primary Day, allowing Louisianans to weigh in on the U.S. Presidential Election as part of the 2024 primary elections and a select number of local races.
Unlike November elections in Louisiana, the March primary will be a closed primary meaning that registered Republicans can only vote in the Republican primary and Democrats can only vote in the Democratic primary.
Voting ends at 8 p.m. on Saturday when the polls close.
Presidential primary:
President Joe Biden will appear on the Democratic primary ballot along with a number of in-party rivals, including self-help author and 2020 Democratic candidate Marianne Williamson from California.
Former President Donald Trump is the only remaining major candidate Republican Presidential primary. Trump has been endorsed by Gov. Jeff Landry, Sen. John Kennedy and as well as Speaker of The House Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Other candidates who have already dropped out, such as Trump's former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy will also appear on the ballot.
The official selection for both parties will take place this summer. When in July, Republicans will officially select their nominee for president at their convention in Milwaukee, Wis. While Democrats will select their nominee during an August convention in Chicago.
The 2020 presidential primaries saw both the Republican and Democratic nominees win all of Louisiana's delegates and state parishes. With Donald Trump earning 96% of the Republican vote, and Joe Biden earning 80% of the vote.
Will there be other races on the ballot?
The Republican and Democratic state central and state executive committee member nominations will also be on the ballot. These candidates, if elected, would make decisions about party policy and endorsements.
In addition, in certain voting districts, district court judges, council members, chiefs of police and even mayoral elections will appear on the ballot along with other local races.
Judicial court seat covering most of Jefferson Parish
The race for the 24th Judicial Court Seat in Jefferson Parish is between three Republicans: Jackie Maloney, Jerry Smith III and Lindsey Valenti.
Maloney was an assistant district attorney in Orleans and Jefferson parishes for 14 years before opening a private practice in 2012.
Smith was an assistant district attorney in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes for 13 years before opening a private practice in 2019.
Valenti served as chief legal council for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office for seven years.
Northshore district attorney (parts of Washington and St. Tammany Parish)
The race for 22nd judicial district attorney is between two Republicans, interim DA Collin Sims and Covington attorney Vincent Wynne.
Sims served as former District Attorney Warren Montgomery's first assistant before Montgomery died in November, Sims was then subsequently appointed as interim DA. At the time, Montgomery was three years into a six year term, leaving a three year vacancy for either Sims or Wynne to fill permanently.
Mayoral races on Saturday's ballot
- The mayor of Grand Isle
- The mayor of Mandeville
- The mayor of Madisonville
- The mayor of Ponchatoula
Polling location changes for New Orleans:
New Orleans announced the following voting location changes ahead of the primary on Saturday.
New Orleans Ward 7, Precinct 4 has been moved from Morris Jeff Community School to St. Roche Community Church at 1738 St. Roch Ave.
New Orleans Ward 7, Precincts 5 and 6 have been moved from Morris Jeff to Corpus Christi-Epiphany Resource Center at 2022 St. Bernard Ave.
New Orleans Ward 9, precincts 30, 30A, 31 and 31A have been moved from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary to Edward Hynes Charter School on 4617 Mirabeau Ave.
New Orleans Ward 9, precincts 31B and 31D have been moved from the Baptist Theological Seminary to Bethany United Methodist Church at 4533 Mendez St.
Voting location for New Orleans Ward 14, Precincts 21, 24A and 25; and New Orleans Ward 16, Precincts 7, 8 and 9 have all been moved from St. Rita Catholic School to Lafayette Academy Lower School 2727 S. Carrollton Ave.
What if I'm not registered as a Democrat or a Republican?
In addition to Democratic and Republican parties, Louisiana recognizes three other political parties: Green, Libertarian and Independent. If you register as one of these three minor parties, you will not be able to participate in the Democratic or Republican primary races, including the presidential election.
Note, there is a difference between registering as an Independent and "not affiliated with any party." Namely, an Independent would have to change their party registration if they decide to identify with the four other active parties.
A voter registration form would have to be filled out to update your party registration if you switch parties. For that matter, you would have to update your registration if you move to a new parish or changed your name. Those deadlines have since passed for the March primary.
Will new primary laws impact how I vote this year?
Although Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill in January creating closed partisan primaries and runoffs, as opposed to a 'jungle primary,' where the top two candidates advance in the absence of a majority. That system will not take effect until 2026 and will apply to a number of elections that year not including.
This system, however, has not been used during the early primary elections in Louisiana. Instead, primaries like the presidential primary use a closed-primary system.