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Louisiana state legislative districts
 |
List of state legislative districts |
There are 144 seats in the Louisiana State Legislature. All 39 seats of the Louisiana State Senate and all 105 seats of the Louisiana House of Representatives are up for election every four years.
Chambers
Click the following tabs for more information about each chamber:
Senate
The Louisiana Senate is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana.
As of the 2020 Census, Louisiana state senators represented an average of 119,525 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 116,768 residents.
Qualifications
According to Article III, Section 4, of the Louisiana Constitution, candidates must meet the following qualifications in order to run for the state legislature:[1]
| “ | All candidates shall be qualified electors ... By the date of qualification, the candidate shall have attained the age of 18 years, resided in Louisiana for the preceding 2 years, and been actually domiciled for the preceding year in the legislative district from which the candidate seeks election. At the next regular election for members of the legislature following legislative reapportionment, an elector may qualify as a candidate from any district created in whole or in part from a district existing prior to reapportionment if he was domiciled in that prior district for at least 1 year immediately preceding his qualification and was a resident of Louisiana for the 2 years preceding his qualification.[2] | ” |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Louisiana State Legislature, the vacant seat must be filled by a special election. An election is required if there are six months or more left in the unexpired term. The presiding officer in the house where the vacancy happened must call for an election no later than 10 days after the vacancy occurred. The presiding officer must determine the dates for the election along with all filing deadlines. The person elected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[3]
See sources: Louisiana Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:601
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Louisiana legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. It has been a term-limited state legislature since Louisiana voters approved Amendment 2 in 1995, as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. The first year that the term limits enacted in 1995 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was 2007. Under Louisiana's term limits, state senators can serve no more than three four-year terms.[4]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[5] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $16,800/year; plus an additional $6,000/year as an unvouchered expense | $178/day. |
Districts
These are links to every district in the Louisiana State Senate.
House
The Louisiana House of Representatives is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature. The House is composed of 105 Representatives.
As of the 2020 Census, Louisiana state representatives represented an average of 44,395 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 43,371 residents.
Qualifications
According to Article III, Section 4, of the Louisiana Constitution, candidates must meet the following qualifications in order to run for the state legislature:[6]
| “ | All candidates shall be qualified electors ... By the date of qualification, the candidate shall have attained the age of 18 years, resided in Louisiana for the preceding 2 years, and been actually domiciled for the preceding year in the legislative district from which the candidate seeks election. At the next regular election for members of the legislature following legislative reapportionment, an elector may qualify as a candidate from any district created in whole or in part from a district existing prior to reapportionment if he was domiciled in that prior district for at least 1 year immediately preceding his qualification and was a resident of Louisiana for the 2 years preceding his qualification.[2] | ” |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the Louisiana State Legislature, the vacant seat must be filled by a special election. An election is required if there are six months or more left in the unexpired term. The presiding officer in the house where the vacancy happened must call for an election no later than 10 days after the vacancy occurred. The presiding officer must determine the dates for the election along with all filing deadlines. The person elected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unexpired term.[7]
See sources: Louisiana Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:601
Term limits
- See also: State legislatures with term limits
The Louisiana legislature is one of 16 state legislatures with term limits. It has been a term-limited state legislature since Louisiana voters approved Amendment 2 in 1995, as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment. The first year that the term limits enacted in 1995 impacted the ability of incumbents to run for office was 2007. Under Louisiana's term limits, state representatives can serve no more than three four-year terms.[4]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[8] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $16,800/year; plus an additional $6,000/year as an unvouchered expense | $178/day. |
Districts
These are links to every district in the Louisiana House of Representatives.
Redistricting
In Louisiana, both congressional and state legislative districts are drawn by the state legislature. These lines are subject to veto by the governor. In the event that the legislature is unable to approve state legislative district boundaries, the state supreme court must draw the lines. There is no such practice that applies to congressional districts.[9]
The state legislature has adopted guidelines for redistricting. These guidelines suggest that both congressional and state legislative districts be contiguous and "respect recognized political boundaries and the natural geography of the state to the extent practicable." These guidelines are non-binding; as such, the legislature may alter them at its discretion.[9]
On February 19, 2024, the state appealed a U.S. District Court for Middle Louisiana decision that struck down the state's legislative maps.[10]
The lower court's February 8, 2024, ruling found the state's legislative maps to be in violation of the Voting Rights Act.[11][12] According to the ruling, the court found the following:
| “ | [T]he Enacted State House and Senate Maps crack or pack large and geographically compact minority populations such as Black voters in the challenged districts 'have less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and to elect representatives of their choice,' and the Illustrative Plan offered by the Plaintiffs show that additional opportunity districts can be 'reasonable configured.'[12][2] | ” |
The legislative maps that both chambers passed during a special legislative session in February 2022 became law 20 days after their passage as Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) neither signed not vetoed the redistricting plans. The legislative redistricting plan passed the state Senate, 25-11, with all votes in favor by Republicans and 10 Democrats and one Republican voting against. The state House of Representatives approved it by a 82-21 vote with 68 Republicans, 12 Democrats, and two independents voting in favor and 20 Democrats and one independent voting against.[13][14] After the legislature voted on the maps, Tyler Bridges wrote in The Advocate, "Without much fuss, the Republican-controlled Legislature...approved new district boundaries for the state House and Senate that would maintain GOP legislative dominance for the next decade."[15]
Edwards announced on March 9, 2022, that he would not act on the legislative boundaries, releasing a statement that said, in part, "While neither the congressional or legislative maps passed by Louisiana’s Legislature do anything to increase the number of districts where minority voters can elect candidates of their choosing, I do not believe the Legislature has the ability to draw new state House and Senate maps during this upcoming legislative session without the process halting the important work of the state of Louisiana. At a time when we face unprecedented challenges, but have unprecedented opportunities to make historic investments in our future, the Legislature should be focused on the issues in the upcoming session and not concerned about what their own districts will look like in the 2023 elections."[16]
Senate elections
Louisiana state senators serve four-year terms, with all seats up for election every four years. Louisiana holds elections for its legislature in odd years.
Louisiana holds October primaries in which candidates of all party affiliations face off, rather than deciding party nominees through separate primaries. Should a candidate finish with a majority of the primary vote, he or she is considered elected; otherwise, a runoff between the top two finishers is held in November. Louisiana is also one of only four states that hold state elections in odd-numbered years. Former Clerk of the Louisiana House Alfred "Butch" Speer was quoted as explaining:
| “ | For scores of years we conducted our party primaries in the winter of the odd numbered years, with any necessary 2nd primary held in January. Because Republican voter registration was so miniscule from 1877 until 1980, the general elections were mere irritants to the Democrat primary victor. Once we scrapped the partisan primary system [1975] we set the entire system up to run in the fall of the odd numbered year, our traditional election season.[17][2] | ” |
2027
- See also: Louisiana State Senate elections, 2027
Elections for the Louisiana State Senate will take place in 2027. The general election is on November 20, 2027.
2023
- See also: Louisiana State Senate elections, 2023
Elections for the Louisiana State Senate took place in 2023. The general election was November 18, 2023. A primary was October 14, 2023. The filing deadline was August 10, 2023.
Heading into the election, Republicans held a 27-12 majority. Republicans gained one seat in the election, giving them a 28-11 majority.
| Louisiana State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 18, 2023 | After November 19, 2023 | |
| Democratic Party | 12 | 11 | |
| Republican Party | 27 | 28 | |
| Total | 39 | 39 | |
2019
- See also: Louisiana State Senate elections, 2019
Elections for the Louisiana State Senate took place in 2019. The primary was on October 12, 2019, and the general election was on November 16. The filing deadline for candidates was August 8, 2019.
| Louisiana State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 16, 2019 | After November 17, 2019 | |
| Democratic Party | 14 | 12 | |
| Republican Party | 25 | 27 | |
| Total | 39 | 39 | |
2015
- See also: Louisiana State Senate elections, 2015
Elections for the Louisiana State Senate took place in 2015. A primary election was held on October 24, 2015, with a general election held in districts where necessary on November 21, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 10, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. CDT.[18]
Louisiana elections use the Louisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% 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.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Heading into the election, Republicans held a 26-13 majority. Republicans lost one seat in the election, giving them a 25-14 majority.
| Louisiana State Senate | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 21, 2015 | After November 21, 2015 | |
| Democratic Party | 13 | 14 | |
| Republican Party | 26 | 25 | |
| Total | 39 | 39 | |
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2011
Elections for the office of Louisiana State Senate consisted of a primary election on October 22, 2011, and a runoff election on November 19, 2011. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 22-17 majority. Republicans gained two seats in the election, giving them a 24-15 majority.
During the 2011 election, the total value of contributions to Senate candidates was $13,611,411. The top 10 contributors were:[19]
2007
Elections for the office of Louisiana State Senate consisted of a primary election on October 20, 2007, and a runoff election on November 17, 2007. Following the 2000 Census, each of Louisiana's 39 state senators represented an average population of 114,589 people. In 2007, Senate candidates raised a total of $18,266,324 in campaign contributions.
The top 10 donors were:[20]
2003
Elections for the office of Louisiana State Senate consisted of a primary election on October 4, 2003, and a runoff election on November 15, 2003. During the 2003 election, the total value of contributions to Senate candidates was $13,648,458. The top 10 contributors were:[21]
1999Elections for the office of Louisiana State Senate consisted of a primary election on October 23, 1999, and a runoff election on November 20, 1999. During the 1999 election, the total value of contributions to Senate candidates was $12,374,378. The top 10 contributors were:[22]
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House elections
Louisiana state representatives serve four-year terms, with all seats up for election every four years. Louisiana holds elections for its legislature in odd years.
Louisiana holds October primaries in which candidates of all party affiliations face off, rather than deciding party nominees through separate primaries. Should a candidate finish with a majority of the primary vote, he or she is considered elected; otherwise, a runoff between the top two finishers is held in November. Louisiana is also one of only four states that hold state elections in odd-numbered years. Former Clerk of the Louisiana House Alfred "Butch" Speer was quoted as explaining:
| “ | For scores of years we conducted our party primaries in the winter of the odd numbered years, with any necessary 2nd primary held in January. Because Republican voter registration was so miniscule from 1877 until 1980, the general elections were mere irritants to the Democrat primary victor. Once we scrapped the partisan primary system [1975] we set the entire system up to run in the fall of the odd numbered year, our traditional election season.[23][2] | ” |
2027
Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives will take place in 2027. The general election is on November 20, 2027.
2023
Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives took place in 2023. The general election was November 18, 2023. A primary was October 14, 2023. The filing deadline was August 10, 2023.
In the 2023 elections, Republicans increased their majority in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 71-33 to 73-32.
| Louisiana House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 18, 2023 | After November 19, 2023 | |
| Democratic Party | 33 | 32 | |
| Republican Party | 71 | 73 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 105 | 105 | |
2019
Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives took place in 2019. The primary was on October 12, 2019, and the general election was on November 16. The filing deadline for candidates was August 8, 2019.
| Louisiana House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 16, 2019 | After November 17, 2019 | |
| Democratic Party | 39 | 35 | |
| Republican Party | 60 | 68 | |
| Independent | 5 | 2 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 105 | 105 | |
2015
Elections for the Louisiana House of Representatives took place in 2015. A primary election was held on October 24, 2015, with a general election held in districts where necessary on November 21, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 10, 2015, at 4:30 p.m. CDT.[24]
Louisiana elections use the Louisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% 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.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Heading into the election, Republicans held a 59-44 majority with two independent members.[25] Republicans gained two seats in the election, giving them a 61-42 majority with two independent members.
| Louisiana House of Representatives | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2015 | After November 2015 | |
| Democratic Party | 43 | 42 | |
| Republican Party | 58 | 61 | |
| Independent | 2 | 2 | |
| Vacancy | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 105 | 105 | |
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2011Elections for the office of Louisiana House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on October 22, 2011, and a runoff election on November 19, 2011. Heading into the election, Republicans held a 57-46 majority with two independent members. Republicans gained one seat in the election, giving them a 58-45 majority with two independent members.
During the 2011 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $15,991,763. The top 10 contributors were:[26]
2007Elections for the office of Louisiana House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on October 20, 2007, and a runoff election on November 17, 2007. As of the 2000 Census, Louisiana's 105 state representatives each represented an average population of 42,562 people. In 2007, the candidates for state house raised a total of $23,068,639 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were:[27]
2003Elections for the office of Louisiana House of Representatives consisted of an election on October 4, 2003, and a runoff election on November 15, 2003. During the 2003 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $12,267,180. The top 10 contributors were:[28]
1999Elections for the office of Louisiana House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on October 23, 1999, and a runoff election on November 20, 1999. During the 1999 election, the total value of contributions to House candidates was $13,135,824. The top 10 contributors were:[29]
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District maps
State Senate
State House
See also
- State legislature
- Louisiana State Legislature
- Louisiana State Senate
- Louisiana House of Representatives
- List of Louisiana state legislative elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Qualifications of Candidates," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Louisiana Legislature, "Louisiana Election Code," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 18:601, Louisiana Statutes)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Constitutional and Statutory Provisions for Term Limits," accessed February 10, 2021
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Qualifications of Candidates," accessed May 21, 2025
- ↑ Louisiana Legislature, "Louisiana Election Code," accessed February 10, 2021 (Statute 18:601, Louisiana Statutes)
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 All About Redistricting, "Louisiana," accessed April 30, 2015
- ↑ American Redistricting Project, "Nairne v. Landry," accessed November 20, 2024
- ↑ NOLA.com. "Louisiana must redraw its legislative districts, federal judge rules. Here's why." February 8, 2024
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Twitter. "RedistrictNet," February 8, 2024
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "2022 First Extraordinary Session - HB14," accessed February 24, 2022
- ↑ The Advocate. "Legislature ends redistricting session by passing new maps for state House and Senate, PSC and BESE," February 18, 2022
- ↑ The Advocate. "Legislature ends redistricting session by passing new maps for state House and Senate, PSC and BESE," February 18, 2022
- ↑ State of Louisiana, Office of the Governor, "Gov. Edwards Vetoes Proposed Congressional District Map, Announces Other Action on Newly Drawn District Maps," March 9, 2022
- ↑ The Thicket, "Why do Four States Have Odd-Year Elections?" August 25, 2011
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2015 Elections," accessed January 2, 2015
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2011 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2007 Candidates," accessed July 10, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2003 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 1999 Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ The Thicket, "Why do Four States Have Odd-Year Elections?" August 25, 2011
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2015 Elections," accessed January 2, 2015
- ↑ The two vacancies were counted towards the party that last held the seat.
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2011 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2010 - Candidates," accessed April 15, 2014
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 2003 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
- ↑ Follow the Money, "Louisiana 1999 - Candidates," accessed August 23, 2013
