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Read. Follow. Verify.Louisiana House Bill 906 adjusts presidential nominating petition rules and authorizes major political parties to open primaries to unaffiliated voters
Last action · May 26, 2026: Read by title and returned to the Calendar, subject to call.Sponsor: Beth Billings
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What This Bill Would Do
Beginning January 1, 2027, major political parties in Louisiana may allow s to participate in their party primary elections, committee elections, and presidential preference primaries by updating their bylaws and notifying the Department of State at least 180 days in advance. Additionally, presidential candidates qualifying via petition must gather 2,500 signatures statewide with at least 250 from each congressional district, replacing the prior requirement of 1,000 signatures from each district, and petition signers are prohibited from withdrawing their signature.
s gain the potential ability to vote in major party primaries if a party chooses to open them, while presidential candidates face a modified distribution requirement for petition signatures starting January 1, 2027.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
unaffiliated voters
Unaffiliated voters may be permitted to participate in major political party primaries, committee elections, and presidential preference primaries if the respective party's bylaws allow it.
major political parties
Major political parties gain the authority to decide through their bylaws whether to allow or prohibit unaffiliated voters from participating in their primary and committee elections, subject to notification requirements.
presidential candidates
Presidential candidates choosing to qualify via nominating petition must meet a revised signature requirement of 2,500 total signatures with at least 250 from each congressional district.
Key Facts
- Major political party state central committees may choose to allow unaffiliated voters to participate in their party primary elections through party bylaws.
- Parties allowing or prohibiting unaffiliated voter participation must notify the Department of State at least 180 days prior to the opening of qualifying for the first party primary.
- An unaffiliated voter participating in a major party primary may select only one major party primary ballot and cannot vote in a second party's primary.
- If a party allows unaffiliated voters in its primaries, those voters are also permitted to vote in elections for the party's state central committee, parish executive committee, and the statewide presidential preference primary.
Show all 7 facts
- Presidential preference primary candidates qualifying by petition must provide a total of no less than 2,500 registered voter signatures affiliated with the party, with at least 250 signatures from each of the state's congressional districts.
- Once a voter signs a presidential candidate's nominating petition, the voter may not withdraw the nomination.
- The Act takes effect on January 1, 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
How must a political party notify the state if it decides to include or exclude unaffiliated voters?
What are the new petition signature requirements for a presidential candidate?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed both. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
15 actions- May 26, 2026SenateRules suspended.
- May 26, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title and returned to the Calendar, subject to call.
- May 25, 2026SenateFloorReported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.
- May 21, 2026SenateIntroducedRead by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- May 20, 2026SenateCommitteeReported favorably.
- May 4, 2026SenateCommitteeRead second time by title and referred to the Committee on Senate and Governmental Affairs.
Show 9 earlier actions
- Apr 29, 2026HouseFloorRead third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 67, nays 19. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.
- Apr 29, 2026SenateReceived in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseFloorRead by title, amended, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.
- Apr 27, 2026HouseScheduled for floor debate on 04/29/2026.
- Apr 23, 2026HouseReported with amendments (11-0).
- Mar 9, 2026HouseIntroducedRead by title, under the rules, referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.
- Feb 27, 2026HousePrefiled.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseCommitteeUnder the rules, provisionally referred to the Committee on House and Governmental Affairs.
- Feb 27, 2026HouseFirst appeared in the Interim Calendar on 2/27/2026.
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
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Sources
www.legis.la.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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