Louisiana congressional candidates face Aug. 5-7 qualifying deadline after map fight

Louisiana candidates planning to run for the U.S. House face a three-day qualifying period beginning Wednesday, Aug. 5, after the state canceled the congressional elections previously scheduled for May 16 and June 27.

The qualifying period closes at 4:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7. Under Act 7 of the 2026 Regular Session and guidance from the Louisiana secretary of state, anyone planning to run for U.S. representative in the new fall election cycle must qualify during that period, regardless of party affiliation.

Where and how candidates must file

U.S. House candidates must qualify at the Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane, in Baton Rouge. The filing office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Wednesday through Friday.

Candidates may qualify by paying the required fee or submitting a certified nominating petition. Qualifying fees must be paid with cash, a certified or cashier’s check from a state or national bank or credit union, or an eligible U.S. Postal money order. The qualifying form must accompany the payment.

Act 7 sets the congressional nominating-petition requirement at 250 qualified voter signatures for the 2026 fall election. Certified petitions must be submitted during the Aug. 5-7 qualifying period.

What changed for the congressional races

Act 7 canceled the May 16 and June 27, 2026, congressional party primaries and declared votes cast in those contests void and not counted. The law also directs the secretary of state to cancel nominating petitions submitted for those earlier elections and return specified portions of qualifying fees paid for them.

The law moves the U.S. House contests to a Nov. 3 open primary. If a House race is not resolved in November, the scheduled open general election is Dec. 12.

The schedule change followed a dispute over Louisiana’s congressional map. The Associated Press reported that the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state’s second majority-Black congressional district. Gov. Jeff Landry then suspended the earlier congressional primary while state officials addressed the map and related legal issues.

The enacted election schedule is now established, but the broader redistricting dispute and any related legal challenges remain separate from the qualifying deadline. The candidate field, ballot information and district details may develop after qualifying closes and election officials finalize the fall ballot.

What voters should expect

The Nov. 3 ballot will include the U.S. House contests as an open primary rather than a conventional closed party primary. The congressional races therefore are operating under a different framework from party-primary offices that qualified earlier in the year.

Voters should not treat the canceled May 16 or June 27 congressional votes as valid election results. Act 7 expressly says those votes are void and not counted.

Key dates for the Nov. 3 election

Aug. 5-7: U.S. House qualifying in Baton Rouge. The deadline is 4:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7.
Oct. 5: Deadline to register to vote in person, by mail or at an Office of Motor Vehicles location.
Oct. 13: Deadline for online voter registration.
Oct. 20-27: Early voting, excluding Sunday, Oct. 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Oct. 30: Deadline to request an absentee ballot by 4:30 p.m., except for military and overseas voters.
Nov. 2: Deadline for registrars to receive voted absentee ballots by 4:30 p.m., except for military and overseas voters.
Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Dec. 12: Scheduled open general election for House races that require another election.

The immediate deadline applies to candidates, not voters. Residents should monitor the secretary of state’s candidate and ballot information as qualifying ends and the November ballot takes shape.

Sources

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