Candidates for Congress in Louisiana file declarations of candidacy and a filing fee on one of three days, July 9, 10 or 11. So far, one Green Party member has filed for the Green Party primary, and one Constitution Party candidate has filed as an independent. The Green is Malik Rahim in the 2nd district; the Constitution Party member is Peter Vidrine in the 7th district. Thanks to Randall T. Hayes for this news.
If only one candidate files in a primary, then the primary is not actually held and the single candidate is deemed nominated. Five parties are entitled to their own primary: Democratic, Republican, Green, Libertarian and Reform. This is the first year since 1972 that minor party nominees for Congress from Louisiana will be running against just a single Republican nominee and a single Democratic nominee in November. Between 1978 and 2006, Louisiana used the “top-two” system for Congress, but it abandoned that system, for Congressional elections, in 2007.
When does Presidential filing open?
Late August.
The relevant statute in Louisiana for presidential candidates of the state’s officially recognized parties (of which there are currently five: Republican, Democrat, Green, Reform, and Libertarian) is RS 18:1253.
See:
http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=81262
The relevant statute for independent presidential candidates is RS 18:1254.
See:
http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=81263
The time for independent presidential candidates to qualify “shall begin on the first Tuesday in August and shall end at five o’clock p.m. on the first Tuesday in September.”
The deadline for recognized party presidential candidates is also the first Tuesday in September, but there are some additional complications. (See RS 18:1253 for the whole story.)
Please note that independent presidential candidates must list “[i]n not more than three words, the political principle that he represents.”
That “not more than three word” designation appears on the ballot. This is how unrecognized political parties are able to identify their presidential candidates on the Louisiana ballot. For example, the Boston Tea Party (which is not a recognized party in Louisiana) will likely qualify its presidential candidate using RS 18:1254 and will use “Boston Tea Party” as his three word political principle.
There’s a page on the Louisiana Sec. of State’s website entitled “Qualifying Independent Presidential Candidates,” but there’s nothing there yet. I assume they will be filling that in later with the procedure for getting independent presidential candidates on the ballot in Louisiana.
Here’s the link to that page:
http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/693/Default.aspx
Interesting that Louisiana gives independent presidential candidates a month to qualify, and yet gives all congressional candidates only three days.
Louisiana gives all candidates (at least for offices other than president) the option of qualifying by petition OR by paying a fee to the government.
I’m not sure about other offices, but I note that congressional candidates do not have to qualify in person but may instead have a representative submit their paperwork.
When there is only one candidate for an office in a (state or local) nonpartisan election, his name is not even put on the ballot.
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