BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana Illuminator) - A proposal to remove state school board elections from Louisiana's closed party primaries has advanced in the Louisiana Legislature, just weeks ahead of the first races to use the new system.
Senate Bill 49, by Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Many, would move next year's elections for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education into the open "jungle" primary with the races for governor, attorney general and the legislature. This would mean all candidates of any party would meet in the primary, and the top two finishers advance to a runoff unless someone claims 50% or more of the vote in the primary.
When the Louisiana Legislature approved a party primary system in 2024, it settled on limiting the elections to use it to seats in Congress, the Louisiana Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and BESE. Lawmakers agreed to implement the system starting this year.
Seabaugh said he is not opposed to the party primary system but wants the state to save the money it would cost -- $5.4 million, based on legislative fiscal staff calculations -- to hold stand-alone party primaries for BESE seats in April and May.
"That would literally be the only thing on the ballot in some places," Seabaugh told the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee, which advanced his bill Wednesday.
Chris Alexander with the Louisiana Citizen Advocacy Group appeared before the committee to oppose Seabaugh's bill. He identified himself as a "lifelong Republican" and said his organization overwhelmingly supported the move to closed primaries.
"I don't believe that the BESE board, of all boards, should be excluded from that process," Alexander said. "This is the board that oversees the policy that forms our children ... We need a BESE board that reflects the values of Republicans."
Alexander rejected Seabaugh's cost-savings argument, saying it would be a worthwhile expense to ensure Republican values are reflected in the primaries.
One of Louisiana's leading Republican figures wants to see the closed party primaries done away with entirely.
Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser has said the "real push" to implement party primaries among Louisiana GOP leaders was to remove U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy for his 2021 vote to convict President Donald Trump after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. In a recent interview, he implied that Republican legislators actually oppose closed primaries but voted for them to protect the interests of their districts in the state budget.
A return to jungle primaries would help bridge the divisiveness that's become dominant in party politics, according to Nungesser.
"It tones down the rhetoric," he said. "And you know, the hate talk on both sides has caused a lot of violence in this country."
This year's closed party primaries take place May 16, with runoffs on June 27 if needed. They include a race to fill the remaining term for BESE District 1, which Seabaugh's legislation doesn't impact.
Voters who don't belong to a party can vote in the Republican or Democratic primary, but they can't switch parties for the June 27 runoff. However, they can pick any candidate in the Nov. 3 general election, when the party primary winners will be on the ballot.
Voters registered with a minor political party can't participate in the May 16 or June 27 at all.
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