Louisiana has since the 1970s had an open primary system for electing its public officials, whereby candidates (regardless of party) run on the same primary and/or general election ballot. There is proposed legislation (as part of items to be considered in an upcoming special session to begin on January 15) to change from this open primary system to a closed primary system, where only registered voters of a party can vote for its party’s nominees

JMC Analytics and Polling was recently commissioned by private subscribers to poll Louisianians about the state’s open primary system/switching to a closed primary system. Major takeaways from that poll are as follows:

(1) Louisiana’s open primary system is overwhelmingly favored by voters regardless of party,
(2) There is a minimal voter appetite for changing to a closed primary, and,
(3) An absolute majority of voters would be less likely to favor an elected official who wants to change from the current open primary system.

The actual poll itself can be found here.