Editing Louisiana (section)

===Elections===
{{Main|Elections in Louisiana|Political party strength in Louisiana|Louisiana congressional districts}}
[[File:United States presidential election in Louisiana, 2016.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|[[Treemap]] of the popular vote by parish, 2016 presidential election]]
{{PresHead|place=Louisiana|whig=yes|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/compare.php?year=2008&fips=22&f=1&off=0&elect=0&type=state|title=Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Louisiana|publisher=US Election Atlas|access-date=October 27, 2022|author=Leip, David|archive-date=October 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028022829/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/compare.php?year=2008&fips=22&f=1&off=0&elect=0&type=state|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|1,208,505|766,870|31,600|Louisiana}}{{PresRow|2020|Republican|1,255,776|856,034|36,252|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|1,178,638|780,154|70,240|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|1,152,262|809,141|32,662|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|1,148,275|782,989|29,497|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|1,102,169|820,299|20,638|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|927,871|792,344|45,441|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|712,586|927,837|143,536|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|733,386|815,971|240,660|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|883,702|717,460|27,040|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|1,037,299|651,586|17,937|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|792,853|708,453|47,285|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|587,446|661,365|29,628|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|686,852|298,142|66,497|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|257,535|309,615|530,300|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|509,225|387,068|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|230,980|407,339|169,572|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|329,047|243,977|44,520|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|306,925|345,027|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1948|Dixiecrat|72,657|136,344|207,335|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|67,750|281,564|69|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|52,446|319,751|108|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|36,791|292,894|93|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|18,853|249,418|533|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|51,160|164,655|18|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|24,670|93,218|4,063|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|38,538|87,519|339|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|6,466|79,875|6,641|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|3,833|60,871|14,544|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|8,958|63,568|2,591|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|5,205|47,708|995|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|14,234|53,668|4|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|22,037|77,175|1,834|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|26,963|87,926|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1888|Democratic|30,660|85,032|199|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|46,347|62,594|458|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1880|Democratic|38,978|65,047|437|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1876|Republican|75,315|70,508|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1872|Republican|71,663|57,029|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1868|Democratic|33,263|80,225|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1860|Southern Democratic|0|7,625|42,885|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1856|Democratic|0|22,164|20,709|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1852|Democratic|17,255|18,647|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1848|Whig|18,487|15,379|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1844|Democratic|13,083|13,782|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1840|Whig|11,296|7,616|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresFoot|1836|Democratic|3,583|3,842|0|Louisiana}}

From 1898 to 1965, a period when Louisiana had effectively [[Disfranchisement after the Civil War|disfranchised]] most African Americans and many poor whites by provisions of a new constitution,<ref name="GWUweb">{{cite web|title=Reading the Fine Print: The Grandfather Clause in Louisiana|url=http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5352/|website=History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web|publisher=George Washington University|access-date=October 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031073422/http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5352|archive-date=October 31, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> this was essentially a one-party state dominated by white Democrats. Elites had control in the early 20th century, before populist [[Huey Long]] came to power as governor.<ref name="Cashman">{{cite book|last=Cashman|first=Sean Dennis|title=African-Americans and the Quest for Civil Rights, 1900–1990|year=1991|publisher=New York University Press|isbn=9780814714416|page=[https://archive.org/details/africanamericans00cash/page/8 8]|url=https://archive.org/details/africanamericans00cash|url-access=registration|access-date=July 1, 2015}}</ref> In multiple acts of resistance, blacks left behind the segregation, violence and oppression of the state and moved out to seek better opportunities in northern and western industrial cities during the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migrations]] of 1910–1970, markedly reducing their proportion of population in Louisiana. The franchise for whites was expanded somewhat during these decades, but blacks remained essentially disfranchised until after the [[civil rights movement]] of the mid-20th century, gaining enforcement of their constitutional rights through passage by Congress of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]].

Since the 1960s, when civil rights legislation was passed under President [[Lyndon Johnson]] to protect voting and civil rights, most African Americans in the state have affiliated with the Democratic Party. In the same years, many white social conservatives have moved to support Republican Party candidates in national, gubernatorial and statewide elections. In 2004, [[David Vitter]] was the first Republican in Louisiana to be popularly elected as a U.S. senator.<ref>{{cite web|title=David Vitter|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDOC-114sdoc24/html/CDOC-114sdoc24.htm|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-10|website=www.govinfo.gov|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810175755/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDOC-114sdoc24/html/CDOC-114sdoc24.htm}}</ref> The previous Republican senator, [[John S. Harris]], who took office in 1868 during Reconstruction, was chosen by the state legislature under the rules of the 19th century.

Louisiana is unique among U.S. states in using a system for its state and local elections similar to that of modern France. All candidates, regardless of party affiliation, run in a [[nonpartisan blanket primary]] (or "jungle primary") on [[Election Day (United States)|Election Day]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Review Types of Elections|url=https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/GetElectionInformation/ReviewTypesOfElections/Pages/default.aspx|access-date=2021-08-10|website=www.sos.la.gov|archive-date=August 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819025824/https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/GetElectionInformation/ReviewTypesOfElections/Pages/default.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> If no candidate has more than 50% of the vote, the two candidates with the highest vote totals compete in a runoff election approximately one month later. This run-off method does not take into account party identification; therefore, it is not uncommon for a Democrat to be in a runoff with a fellow Democrat or a Republican to be in a runoff with a fellow Republican.

Congressional races have also been held under the jungle primary system. All other states (except [[Washington Initiative 872 (2004)|Washington]], [[California Proposition 14 (2010)|California]], and [[Maine]]) use single-party primaries followed by a general election between party candidates, each conducted by either a [[plurality voting system]] or [[Two-round system|runoff voting]], to elect senators, representatives, and statewide officials. Between 2008 and 2010, federal [[United States Congress|congressional]] elections were run under a closed primary system—limited to registered party members. However, on the passage of House Bill 292, Louisiana again adopted a nonpartisan blanket primary for its federal congressional elections.

Louisiana has six seats in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]], five of which are currently held by Republicans and one by a Democrat. Though the state historically flips between Republican and Democratic governors, Louisiana is not classified as a [[swing state]] in presidential elections, and has it has been considered a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party stronghold]] since the 21st century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brasted |first=Chelsea |date=2024-11-04 |title=Why Louisiana votes Republican, even with more registered Democrats on its rolls |url=https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/11/04/why-does-louisiana-vote-republican |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Axios |language=en}}</ref> Louisiana's incumbent governor is [[Republican Party of Louisiana|Republican]] [[Jeff Landry]], and the state's two U.S. senators are [[Bill Cassidy]] (R) and [[John Neely Kennedy]] (R).

{| class=wikitable style="float:center"
! colspan = 6 | Louisiana's party registration as of May 1, 2025<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Pages/RegistrationStatisticsStatewide.aspx |title=Registration Statistics – Statewide |publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State |date=May 6, 2025 |access-date=May 6, 2025 |archive-date=April 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411071348/https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Pages/RegistrationStatisticsStatewide.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (US)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align=center | 1,098,001
| align=center | 36.85%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (US)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align=center | 1,049,697
| align=center | 35.23%
|-
| {{party color cell|Other parties (US)}}
| [[List of political parties in the United States|Other]]
| align=center | 832,101 
| align=center | 27.92%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align=center | 2,979,799 
! align=center | 100.00%
|}