Preparing for Louisiana’s closed primary system

CADDO PARISH, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Changes to how people can vote in Louisiana are underway, while parish officials are getting prepared for confusion at the polls.

Dale Sibley, the Caddo Parish Registrar of Voters, gave a presentation to parish commissioners Monday afternoon detailing how his office is working with the state to implement the new closed primary system that was approved by the state legislature. The state is running advertising campaigns to inform the public.

Closed primaries are partisan and now separated by Democrat, Republican or No Party in Louisiana. So registered voters of that party can only vote in the primary of their party.

Sibley said residents can expect a longer election process with at least three voting dates before a winner emerges.

This will affect voters during next year’s election cycle. He encourages residents to check their registration before they go vote.

“Unlike the past, with this closed primary system if you are not a register Republican or a registered Democrat or a No Party person who chooses one of those parties, you cannot vote in the closed primaries. I say that because many people despite how they registered years ago vote different ways and forget their original registration,” Sibley said.

Sibley also told the commission he visited Oil City to see about a possible early voting location being opened there which the commission has requested.

He said however out of the three locations he visited none would facilitate as a proper polling spot. Sibley said Mayor Cheryl Clifton Driskell gave him a tour of the former community center and the town’s newest community center.

Sibley also toured the Louisiana State Oil & Gas Museum just to see if it could work. However he said there are too many exhibits to work around for an early voting building.

Sibley told the commission he is personally not in favor of three early voting locations in the parish because it could led to more potential problems.

During the meeting, they also spoke about how parish registrar of voters retains independent control of local elections under state law and commissions’ authority is restricted to funding measures.