Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education election, 2026

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← 2023
Louisiana State Board of Education
Election details
Filing deadline: January 30, 2026 & February 13, 2026
Primary: May 16, 2026 Primary runoff: June 27, 2026 General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Louisiana
Ballotpedia analysis
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Louisiana executive elections
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (1 seat) Public Service Commission (2 seats)

Louisiana is holding a special election for one seat on the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on November 3, 2026. The primary is May 16, 2026, and a primary runoff is June 27, 2026. The filing deadline was February 13, 2026. The filing deadline for independent and minor party candidates was January 30, 2026. The Democratic primary was canceled after only one candidate filed.

Candidates and election results

District 1

Beginning in the 2026 elections, Louisiana elections for U.S. Congress, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission, and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education use a closed partisan primary and primary runoff system. Candidates for those offices no longer run in majority-vote system primaries.

General election

The primary will occur on May 16, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Special general election for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1

Angela Hershey (D) is running in the special general election for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
	Submit photo	Angela Hershey (D)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

The Democratic primary scheduled for May 16, 2026, was canceled. Angela Hershey (D) advanced from the special Democratic primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1 without appearing on the ballot.

Republican primary

The candidate list in this election may not be complete.

Special Republican primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1

Joseph Cao (R), Michael Hollis (R), and Ellie Schroder (R) are running in the special Republican primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1 on May 16, 2026.

		Candidate
		Joseph Cao
	Submit photo	Michael Hollis
		Ellie Schroder

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Louisiana

Election information in Louisiana: May 16, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

• In-person: April 15, 2026
• By mail: Postmarked by April 15, 2026
• Online: April 25, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

No

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

• In-person: May 12, 2026
• By mail: Received by May 12, 2026
• Online: May 12, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

• In-person: May 15, 2026
• By mail: Received by May 15, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

May 2, 2026 to May 9, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

7:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. (CT)

Past elections

2023

District 1

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1

Paul Hollis won election outright against Lauren Jewett in the primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 1 on October 14, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Paul Hollis (R)	71.0	91,633
		Lauren Jewett (D)	29.0	37,385

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 129,018
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

District 2

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Sharon Latten Clark (D) won the election without appearing on the ballot.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Eric Jones (D)

District 3

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Sandy Holloway (R) won the election without appearing on the ballot.

District 4

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

General election

General election for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 4

Stacey Melerine defeated Emma Shepard in the general election for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 4 on November 18, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stacey Melerine (R)	62.3	56,792
		Emma Shepard (D)	37.7	34,365

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 91,157
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 4

Stacey Melerine and Emma Shepard defeated Paige Hoffpauir in the primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 4 on October 14, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stacey Melerine (R)	47.0	55,297
✔		Emma Shepard (D)	30.5	35,850
		Paige Hoffpauir (R)	22.5	26,477

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 117,624
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

District 5

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 5

Lance Harris won election outright against Toby Brazzel in the primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 5 on October 14, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lance Harris (R)	67.5	83,490
		Toby Brazzel (R)	32.5	40,264

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 123,754
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

District 6

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 6

Incumbent Ronnie Morris won election outright against Jodi Rollins in the primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 6 on October 14, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Ronnie Morris (R)	69.3	89,479
		Jodi Rollins (R)	30.7	39,713

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 129,192
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

District 7

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

General election

General election for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 7

Kevin Berken defeated Erick Knezek in the general election for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 7 on November 18, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Berken (R)	53.1	49,776
		Erick Knezek (R)	46.9	44,047

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 93,823
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 7

Kevin Berken and Erick Knezek defeated Cathy S. Banks in the primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 7 on October 14, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Kevin Berken (R)	36.8	47,861
✔		Erick Knezek (R)	34.2	44,534
		Cathy S. Banks (R)	29.0	37,654

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 130,049
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

District 8

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 8

Incumbent Preston Castille won election outright against Dolores Cormier-Zenon in the primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 8 on October 14, 2023.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Preston Castille (D)	70.2	78,436
		Dolores Cormier-Zenon (D)	29.8	33,230

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 111,666
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2021

See also: Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education election, 2021

Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.

General election

Special general election for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 4

Michael Melerine defeated Cassie Williams in the special general election for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 4 on April 24, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Michael Melerine (R)	61.8	23,541
		Cassie Williams (D)	38.2	14,546

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 38,087
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Special nonpartisan primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 4

Cassie Williams and Michael Melerine defeated Shelly McFarland, John Milkovich, and Cody Whitaker in the special primary for Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education District 4 on March 20, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cassie Williams (D)	29.3	10,768
✔		Michael Melerine (R)	28.2	10,361
		Shelly McFarland (R)	22.4	8,251
		John Milkovich (Independent)	15.9	5,844
		Cody Whitaker (Independent)	4.2	1,555

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 36,779
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Emma Shepard (D)

2019

See also: Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education election, 2019

Louisiana held primary elections for eight Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education seats on October 12, 2019. A general election was occurred on November 16, 2019.

General election

Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education general election, 2019
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 6		Ronnie Morris   Gregory Spiers

Primary

Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education primary, 2019
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 1		James D. Garvey Jr. (i) Lee Price-Barrios	Marion Bonura (Independent)
District 2	Kira Orange Jones (i) Shawon Bernard Ashonta Wyatt
District 3		Sandy Holloway (i) Janice Perea
District 4		Tony Davis (i)
District 5		Stephen Chapman Ashley Ellis
District 6	Ciara Hart	Ronnie Morris   Gregory Spiers	Vickie Tolliver Auguste (Independent)
District 7		Holly Boffy (i)	Timala Melancon (Independent)
District 8	Preston Castille Vereta Lee Jonathan Loveall Chakesha Webb Scott

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education official website

Footnotes

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