Jeremy Alford: Special session begins with ambitious agenda

We were all expecting Gov. Jeff Landry to issue a special session call on his first day in office so lawmakers could draw a new map for members of Congress, specifically with a second Black majority district.
Instead, we got a call with not one agenda item, but 14, including proposals for a new state Supreme Court map and a closed primary election system.
The biggest news from the upcoming special session, which will convene Jan. 15 and conclude by Jan. 23, was also the most unexpected — Landry’s proposal to end Louisiana’s so-called jungle primary system.
Under current law, candidates for office in the Bayou State all appear on the same ballot. If no one secures more than 50 percent of the vote, the two top vote-getters advance to the runoff. 
For our gubernatorial elections, the open primary system has traditionally yielded political opposites for voters to consider, mostly in terms of liberal versus conservative, such as Edwin Edwards versus David Duke or Mike Foster versus Cleo Field or Kathleen Blanco versus Bobby Jindal or John Bel Edwards versus David Vitter.
Diehard Republicans, however, have long found fault with the system, especially as GOP rolls have grown, and the last few terms of state government have been peppered with failed efforts to reverse the tide. 
With Landry now on board with removing the open primary system, the state GOP leadership may finally get what it wants. The devil, of course, will be in the details. 
Will non-party voters be allowed to participate in Republican and Democratic primaries?
Will the proposed closed primary system apply to municipal races as well?
The legislation to come will be highly anticipated.
In order to bring an end to the open primary system, Landry also had to include in his special call, or agenda, all topics related to campaign finance laws.
(This is an important side note, because lawmakers can only debate the subject matter included on the call.)
Landry’s call is tailored broadly enough that lawmakers could really open up campaign finance laws and make some significant changes. We’ll have to wait and see whether they stay focused on open primary changes only.
Lawmakers and our new governor won’t be able to do all of the heavy lifting on their own. Among the byproducts of the special session will be a set of constitutional amendments that voters will have to approve on a statewide ballot.
Without public support, the open primary system will stay in place and Landry’s first policymaking bid will be for naught. At the very least, there needs to be some kind of public education campaign in the coming weeks and months.
A statewide poll conducted by JMC Analytics and Polling in mid-December asked participants this question: “Louisiana currently runs its primaries under an open primary system, where candidates (regardless of party) run on the same primary and general election ballot, and where all eligible voters can participate. Do you favor or oppose this current method of electing public officials?”
Among the participants, 27 percent said “strongly favor,” 38 percent said “favor,” 9 percent said “oppose,” 11 percent said “strongly oppose,” and 15 percent were undecided. The poll was paid for by Republic Renewal.
Elsewhere on the special session call, few politicos were surprised to see an opportunity to add a second Black majority district to Louisiana’s congressional map.
Landry said weeks ago he would accommodate the request by the courts.
Some politicos, though, were surprised to see Landry add an agenda item for a new map for the state Supreme Court, which has election lines that have gone unchanged since 1997.
Representatives from the Court’s seven districts are in favor of the changes, including adding another second Black majority district.
Looking ahead, lawmakers intend to stay busy in the coming weeks. After the special session on redistricting ends, the House and Senate will prepared for another special session on crime, possibly from Feb. 19 to March 6. Meanwhile, the 2024 regular session will convene at noon on March 1, and must adjourn no later than 6 p.m. on June 3.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www. LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on Twitter @ LaPoliticsNow.