BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana Secretary of State Nancy Landry today reminds voters that races and propositions scheduled for the Saturday, May 16 election are continuing as planned, except the races for U.S. Representative that have now been cancelled and moved to Louisiana’s fall open primary election cycle. All voters in Louisiana are encouraged to vote on Saturday, as all voters will have something on their ballot, including the race for U.S. Senator and five Constitutional amendments.
Under Act 7 of the 2026 Regular Session of the Louisiana State Legislature, signed today by Governor Jeff Landry, candidates who intend to run in the U.S. House races must qualify in August for the new election date. The election for the House will be held on the Nov. 3, 2026, open primary election ballot. A general election, if necessary, will be held Dec. 12, 2026.
As part of the legislation, any votes cast in the cancelled May 16 or June 27 U.S. House races are void and will not be counted. While some voters will continue to see the cancelled U.S. House races on Saturday’s ballot, election officials are prohibited from releasing or disclosing the results of those races. All other races and propositions, including the race for U.S. Senate, currently scheduled on the May 16 and June 27 ballots, will proceed as planned.
“The Legislature has provided a clear process for Louisiana’s U.S. House of Representatives races following the suspension, and now cancellation of those races after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling,” said Secretary Landry. “The U.S. House races previously scheduled under the closed party primary system are officially cancelled and will instead be conducted through Louisiana’s traditional fall open primary process.”
The legislation also establishes a new qualifying period for all races running in the 2026 fall primary election, including the U.S. House races. Qualifying will open Aug. 5, 2026, and close at 4:30 p.m. on Aug. 7, 2026.
In addition, the Secretary of State’s Office will refund the state’s portion of qualifying fees paid by U.S. House candidates for the cancelled elections. Any nominating petitions previously submitted for those same U.S. House races have also been cancelled.
The legislation also reduces the required number of nominating petition signatures for the fall U.S. House of Representatives races to 250 qualified voters from anywhere in the state and requires those petitions to be submitted no later than July 9, 2026.
Potential candidates may qualify for the U.S. House race either by paying the required qualifying fee or by nominating petition. For information about becoming a candidate, please visit www.sos.la.gov [sos.la.gov].
Voters can visit GeauxVote.com or download the GeauxVote mobile app for updated election information, registration details, sample ballots, and election dates.
