<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Why is the state of Louisiana now holding a closed primary? It had open primaries in the recent past.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Primaries in Louisiana are usually open, allowing voters to select candidates regardless of party affiliation, and — aside from a brief span a few years ago — the state has used that open-election system for about 40 years.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">But the state’s presidential preference primary, set up by Louisiana legislators in 1979, is different: It was designed to be closed. The law allows parties to open balloting to unaffiliated voters, but doesn’t require them to do so.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“Each elector voting in such election may vote only for a candidate who is affiliated with the same party as the elector, except that the state central committee of a recognized political party may allow in its bylaws, electors who are not affiliated with any political party to cast a vote on the ballot of such recognized political party,” reads R.S. 18:1280.21.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“The state central committee shall notify the Department of State that its bylaws allow for such voting by non-affiliated electors no later than seven days prior to the opening of qualifying for</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">the presidential preference primary.”</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">A brief history of the state’s open-primary system, from “Your Louisiana Government: An Owner’s Manual,” a publication of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana:</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">Louisiana relied on the closed primary system until 1975. Under the closed primary system a candidate needed a majority of the votes in his or her party’s primary to run as the party’s candidate in the general election. Because all of the strong candidates were usually Democrats, it was often difficult for one to get a majority of the votes in the primary. A runoff election or second primary was then required.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">Republicans rarely offered candidates to compete for local or state offices in the general election. Usually the candidate who won the second Democratic primary won the election, and there was no general election. This discouraged people from registering as Republicans or Independents because they would seldom have an opportunity to vote on important offices.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">Another problem with the closed primary occurred when more Republicans began running for state and local offices in the 1970s. It meant Democratic candidates had to run three campaigns, one for the first and second primaries and one for the general election campaign. It was time-consuming and expensive.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyInfoBox">These problems eventually led the state to drop the closed primary system in favor of a modified open primary.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">The Louisiana presidential preference primary will be</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Saturday, March 5.</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">www.geauxvote.com; www.parlouisiana.com.</span>

<span class="R~sep~AHeadBrief">Rain reason for delay with tennis courts</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">What is the delay on opening of the new Ward 3 tennis courts near the Power Centre? My understanding was that they were to have been opened in December, but they are still not ready.</span>

<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: ‘Lucida Sans’;" class="R~sep~ACopyBody">Taxpayers who have paid for this new facility have a right to know why this project is seemingly well behind schedule. All appearances are that it is ready, but it still has not opened.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“The delay on the opening of the tennis courts is due to rain during construction, as well as major problems in getting underground electrical service run to the courts,” Kip Texada, executive director of Ward 3 Recreation, wrote in an email.</span>

<span class="R~sep~ACopyBody">“The electrical installation is close to being complete and the tennis courts are just a few weeks away from opening.”</span>

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<span style="font-weight: bold;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Online:</span> <span class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">www.lcward3recreation.com.</span>

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<span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">The I</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nform</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">er answers questions from rea</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ders each Sunday, Monday a</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">nd Wednesday. It is re</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">searched and written by</span> <span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">Andrew Perzo</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">, an</span> <span style="font-style: italic; font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">American Press</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">staff wri</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">ter. To ask a question, call</span> <span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">494-409</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">8 and leave voice mail, or ema</span><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="R~sep~ACopyEditors~sep~endnote">il informer@americanpress.com.</span>