Two days before early voting starts, Louisiana suspends its congressional primaries after SCOTUS knocks majority-minority districts
Louisiana suspended its congressional primaries Thursday as early voting was about to get underway while pressure mounted on Republican officials in other states to also redraw their U.S. House maps in light of a Supreme Court ruling that significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act. Early voting had been scheduled to begin Saturday for Louisiana’s May 16 primaries. But Republican Gov. Jeff Landry issued an executive order postponing the U.S. House primary in response to a ruling Wednesday by the court that struck down a majority Black congressional district. “Allowing elections to proceed under an unconstitutional map would undermine the integrity of our system and violate the rights of our voters,” Landry stated. “This executive order ensures we uphold the rule of law while giving the Legislature the time it needs to pass a fair and lawful congressional map.” The Republican-controlled secretary of state’s office, which declared an electoral emergency allowing for Landry’s order, said it would post notices at early voting sites alerting the public about the suspended congressional primary. All other races on the ballot will proceed as scheduled. The governor’s order postponed the congressional primary until either July 15 or a date to be set by the Legislature. The state’s Republican House and Senate leaders said they are prepared to pass new congressional voting districts — and set a new election date — before their regular session ends in a month. President Donald Trump, in a series of social media posts Thursday, praised Landry for moving quickly to revise the state’s congressional districts and urged Republicans in Tennessee to do likewise in response to the Supreme Court’s decision. Democrats say the delay could cause confusion While civil rights activists denounced the potential for diminished minority representation in Congress, top Republicans cited the Supreme Court’s decision as justification to spur an alre