POLI 2056 Chapter : Election Rules
Election Rules: Louisiana and the 4 Normal States
A. The Normal Variations
a. Party Primary - LA has an “open primary system,” but that’s not what it is
i.filters people for general elections
ii.most states only have Ds and Rs on the General Election Ballot
iii.how do Ds and Rs choose their candidates? rules change
b. Open vs. Closed
.Open: regardless of party affiliation you choose which primary to vote for
c. Plurality vs. Majority
.Plurality: whoever gets the MOST, rather than the MAJORITY OF votes; also called the
runoff system
i.Majority: whoever gets 50%+; if no one gets a majority, top 2 get a runoff
B. Louisiana System
. How it works
.Functions similarly to a plurality system
i.All candidates run together in the same election, regardless of party
ii.Majority wins
iii.General election is between the top 2, regardless of party
a. Causes
.1975, governor’s race
i.1971 - Edwards vs. Johnston in runoff, then Edwards runs against the Republican
ii.Edwards wins, 1971, but he did not like the system that made it so hard for him to win,
attempted to change it
iii.Before his reelection, he decided to change the rules of the election
iv.People in power saw that the change would help keep them in power
v.Political Advantage for Incumbent
vi.It would save money; old system had 3 elections, new system had max 2
b. Effects
.Fewer Elections
i.Less money on campaigns
ii.Help/hurt - Dem/Rep - We don’t know who it helped/hurt; Republicans grew at a slower
pace, but Democrats seemed to be helped. There could have been other factors
iii.Did it decrease partisanship at all? Probably a little bit
iv.Election Manipulation; helps extremes
v.Changed Strategies
