April 30, 2026

Greetings League Members and Friends!

On April 29, the United States Supreme Court handed a decision  in the case of Louisiana v. Callais–and it was not in our favor. Since the “People Powered Fair Maps” campaign of 2019-2022, LWVLA has worked with statewide partners to support fair maps in redistricting. In particular, we have supported the creation of additional minority opportunity districts for the U.S. House, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), Public Service Commission (PSC), Louisiana Supreme Court, and state legislature. Last fall, LWVUS filed a strong amicus brief in the Callais case in support of fair maps and voting rights.

Nevertheless, the Supreme Court’s decision in Callais invalidated the congressional map that the Louisiana Legislature enacted in January 2024, a map which met traditional redistricting criteria of fairness while also creating two majority minority congressional districts. It also gutted Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by limiting the ability of minority voters to bring cases for vote dilution absent a showing of intentional government action to discriminate on the basis of race. Even more, the Court’s decision, coming seven years after our work on redistricting began, attests to how redistricting has become a multi-year effort extending way past the census year.

At LWVLA, despite the setback of the Callais decision, we are committed to continuing the work of securing fair maps for inclusive representation in a multiracial democracy. Moreover, the decision should not overshadow the important work that our state and local leagues in Louisiana continued to do in the month of April.

On April 2, LWV of New Orleans held its Closed Party Primaries voter education event at the wonderful Café Istanbul. (Our closed party primary education was sponsored by a generous grant from Unite America.) On April 8, LWVLA Legislative Advocacy Chair Mary Anne Mushatt represented us well, seen here alongside representatives of Together Louisiana and Voice of the Experienced (V.O.T.E.), in providing testimony on the Louisiana Voting Rights Act brought by Sen. Royce Duplessis. Also on April 8, LWVLA President Christy Green took the Closed Party Primaries voter education on the road to Ruston. And on April 17, Green traveled once again to Lake Charles for a Closed Party Primaries panel there. One thing that we have found particularly valuable in all of our Closed Party Primary work has been strong participation in the events by local Clerks of Court, Registrars of Voters, and other election officials. The events also earned local media attention.

Our local leagues found their own distinctive ways of educating voters about the upcoming Closed Party Primaries. LWV of Lafayette went the new media route with their voter education Facebook Live AMA (that’s “Ask Me Anything”) session with LWVLFT members Dr. Christie Maloyed and Beth Chiasson. Maloyed is a political scientist by training and now a government technology specialist by trade, and Chiasson is a highly dedicated Commissioner-in-Charge of polling places in Lafayette.

Green was delighted to report these events to our Unite America funders at a breakfast meeting in Baton Rouge on April 28, followed by attendance at a legislative hearing on a regrettable resolution attempting to “memorialize” the federal government to amend the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) to eliminate voter registration at the Office of Motor Vehicles and social service agencies. (Notably, on April 17, LWVLA filed a motion to intervene in the case of Louisiana v. EAC, which involves an attempt by the Louisiana Secretary of State to require that the U.S. Election Assistance Commission change its federal forms to allow the implementation of Louisiana’s documentary proof of citizenship law, passed in 2024.)

The “Unite & Rise 8.5” campaign to register, educate, and activate 8.5 million voters continues—and Louisiana is seeking to reach 160,000 Louisiana voters before the 2026 midterm elections. As always, if you’re not with us yet as a League member, join us, tell your friends, and consider a donation to fund our work. From voter education to protection of voting rights and democracy itself, your League is working for you!

In League,

Your LWVLA State Board

Upcoming Events in May:

  • May 1 – International Workers’ Day
  • May 10 – Mothers’ Day
  • May 16 – Primary Election
  • May 27 – Deadline for In-Person Registration for June 27 Election