Louisiana will be holding closed or semi-closed primaries for Congress starting in 2008. Louisiana has 5 qualified parties. Each party that desires to keep independents out of its congressional primaries must tell the Secretary of State by January 1, 2008. If a party doesn’t express itself, the Secretary of State will assume that the party wants independents to vote in its Congressional primaries.

The Republican Party has already told the Secretary of State that it doesn’t want independents voting in its Congressional primaries. The Democratic Party has already told the press that it does want independents to vote in its Congressional primaries. The Green Party had a state convention on September 8 and decided to let independents vote in its Congressional primaries. Libertarians will decide this question at a state convention on December 1. It is believed the Reform Party will let independents vote in its Congressional primaries.