Bill advances to remove next year's BESE elections from closed primary system

A proposal to remove state school board elections from Louisiana’s closed party primaries has advanced in the Louisiana Legislature, just weeks ahead of the first races to use the new system.

Senate Bill 49, by Sen. Alan Seabaugh, R-Many, would move next year’s elections for the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education into the open “jungle” primary with the races for governor, attorney general and the legislature. This would mean all candidates of any party would meet in the primary, and the top two finishers advance to a runoff unless someone claims 50% or more of the vote in the primary.

When the Louisiana Legislature approved a party primary system in 2024, it settled on limiting the elections to use it to seats in Congress, the Louisiana Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and BESE. Lawmakers agreed to implement the system starting this year.

Seabaugh said he is not opposed to the party primary system but wants the state to save the money it would cost — $5.4 million, based on legislative fiscal staff calculations — to hold stand-alone party primaries for BESE seats in April and May.



https://lailluminator.com/2026/03/15/bese-closed-primary/