BATON ROUGE — Starting Aug. 1, Louisiana will no longer recognize the Independent Party.

According to Secretary of State Nancy Landry, voters registered as Independent will have their party affiliation automatically
changed to “No Party” in the state’s voter registration system.

Those affected will receive a notice by mail, including an updated voter information card.

The change comes after Act 84 from the 2025 state legislative session was signed into law, which starts the transition to a closed party primary system for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Louisiana Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and Board of Elementary and Secondary Education races. Under the new system, participation will be limited to voters whose party affiliation is listed as Democrat, Republican, or “No Party” on their voter registrations.

Joel Watson, the deputy secretary of state, clarified that "No Party" voters can vote in either parties' primary. In the event of a runoff in the primary, "No Party" voters must vote with the party whose primary they voted in initially. 

“Many Louisiana voters who are registered as Independents mistakenly believe they are unaffiliated with any political party, when in fact they are members of the Independent Party,” Landry said. “This proactive change will allow voters formerly registered as Independents to participate in Closed Party Primaries next year, preventing voter confusion while maximizing participation.”

Louisiana’s new closed party primaries were created by the Louisiana Legislature in 2024. Closed party primaries begin in the spring of 2026.