Following a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the state's congressional map, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry suspended the May House primary. Administration officials maintain that holding an election with legally valid districts poses an insurmountable logistical hurdle.
A coalition of voters filed suit this week over the delay, prompting the governor's office to argue that pausing the democratic process is the only prudent option, according to sources familiar with the matter. Because the Supreme Court found the previous map unconstitutionally diluted Black voting power, state election authorities are now tasked with the unprecedented challenge of drawing a map that adheres to federal civil rights law.
Internal memos indicate that the state legislature requested an indefinite extension to figure out how to comply with the Voting Rights Act without accidentally unseating any entrenched incumbents, according to a senior aide who requested anonymity. Until a solution is found, officials have recommended suspending all primary activities to avoid the liability of a fair contest.
We are working around the clock to draft a congressional map that satisfies the federal courts, but designing districts that are both legally permissible and completely immune to demographic reality is a mathematical impossibility.