Black Voter Turnout Surges in Louisiana Midterm Early Voting
Louisiana reports record early voting turnout with a significant increase in Black voter participation following a Supreme Court ruling on racial gerrymandering.
Louisiana is seeing record-breaking early voting for the November 3 midterm elections, driven by a surge in African American participation. Data from the Secretary of State's office shows that more than 95,000 Black voters cast ballots in the first four days, accounting for 32.2% of the nearly 300,000 total early votes. This marks a notable increase from the 23.4% share recorded during the 2022 midterms.
Sherice Nelson, a strategist for the Louisiana Democratic Party, noted that the share of Black ballots has risen daily, reaching 33.2% by the fourth day. This trend follows significant legal turmoil after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled on June 29 that the state's 6th Congressional District was unconstitutionally gerrymandered for racial reasons. In response, Governor Jeff Landry ordered an open primary for House races.
While the surge could impact the U.S. Senate race between Democrat Jamie Davis and Republican Julia Letlow, analysts suggest Davis remains an underdog. Louisiana Democratic Party Chairman Randal Gaines expressed concern that turnout in East Baton Rouge Parish is lagging and pledged direct action to increase participation before Election Day. Several House races in the 5th and 6th districts are expected to proceed to runoffs in December.
